Charles whitman sniper12/30/2023 However, Martinez shares his thoughts on the differences in responses. The two incidents are separated by decades and involve different circumstances, like weapons. KPRC 2 Investigates Mario Diaz also asked Martinez for his perspective on the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde on May 24, 2022. Martinez took quick action to stop the shooting that day 56 years ago. 1, 1966, the sniper rampage by Charles Whitman from the Austin schools landmark 307-foot tower had remained the deadliest. “My thanks are never-ending for him stopping the situation that could have led to much more destruction and death than what we experienced,” said Littlefield. McCoy, the Austin police officer who helped stop Charles Whitman's deadly 1966 sniper rampage from atop the University of Texas clock tower that killed 16 people and wounded dozens more, died. Until the carnage at Virginia Tech Monday, April 16, 2007, the Aug. “He wanted the carnage to stop,” said Littlefield.Īdrian Littlefield was a 19-year-old newlywed that day. Related: The KPRC2 team was in Austin for the 50th anniversary of the attack - for the dedication of a memorial near the tower.įourteen dead, 31 injured, and Martinez ended the 96 minutes of terror. But at the end of that blur, is the realization that you just killed. “So, I fired one more round,” said Martinez. Ultimately, he killed 16 people and wounded more. I was hitting him and then I was hollering at McCoy to shoot and McCoy finally shot and hit him with a shotgun,” said Martinez. That’s when student Charles Whitman stuck his rifle over the edge of the clock tower at the University of Texas at Austin and started shooting. Seconds later, another officer named Houston McCoy showed up to help. “As long as I stayed below that ledge, around the walkway, I was going to be okay.” They’d crack like that, you know,” said Martinez. Backup arrived just as Martinez was about to take actionĪs Martinez searched the tower, other people on the ground attempted to take out the sniper. Martinez then took off to look for the sniper. Martinez says when they got to the top of the tower, he told the man to take aim in case Whitman turned the corner. And I said, ‘You damn right we are,’” said Martinez. “He said, ‘Are we playing for keeps?’ And I looked at him and that’s when I realized that he was a civilian. “He said, ‘let me have your gun, I’ll go kill that SOB up there, he killed my family.’”īy that point, another man raced up the tower and joined Martinez on his mission. “There was a man that came out and he had a white pair of woman shoes in his hands, and there was blood on them,” said Martinez. (Copyright 2021 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved.) Ramiro Martinez is the man who took down the sniper shooting people from the clock tower in Austin 56 years ago.
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