Texas Man Kills Ex-Wife Outside Courthouse

Fri Feb 25,12:13 PM ET U.S. National - AP


By ANABELLE GARAY, Associated Press Writer

TYLER, Texas - A man angry about being sued for unpaid child support opened fire with an AK-47 assault rifle outside a courthouse, killing his ex-wife and a bystander who intervened to protect the couple's 23-year-old son.


The gunman, 43-year-old David Hernandez Arroyo Sr., was killed Thursday in a gun battle with officers after fleeing the scene of the shooting, in which his son and three law enforcement officers were wounded.


Police estimated that Arroyo, who had a history of spousal abuse and weapons violations, shot 50 rounds in the historic town square. He was wearing a military flak jacket and a bulletproof vest.


"He definitely came well-armed and prepared," police Chief Gary Swindle said. "We do understand there had been some threats made by him the previous week."


Joshua Wintters, an attorney representing Arroyo's ex-wife, Maribel Estrada, 41, said he doesn't believe she thought her ex-husband was dangerous.


"She wouldn't have expected this to come," he said. "She was really a gentle, quiet woman. Her main concerns in life were meeting the bills and seeing to her kids."


The son, David Jr., was wounded trying to act as a mediator between his parents before his mother was killed, police said. He was in fair condition Friday. The couple had two other children, ages 17 and 6.


A sheriff's deputy, Sherman Dollison, 28, was in critical condition with wounds in the liver, lungs and legs. A sheriff's lieutenant and a Tyler police detective were treated and released.


Authorities credited the bystander who died, Mark Alan Wilson, 52, with saving the son's life.


Wilson, a gun enthusiast who had a concealed weapons permit, intervened after Arroyo started shooting, witnesses said. Swindle said Wilson shot at Arroyo several times but his rounds didn't penetrate the armor.


"They traded shots, missing each other, and then the gunman hit Wilson and Wilson went down," Tyler Morning Telegraph publisher Nelson Clyde III said in Friday's editions of the newspaper.


"The gunman walked up to Wilson and shot him while he was on the ground," said Clyde, who watched the shooting from a nearby restaurant. "I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was sickening."


Witnesses said Arroyo then calmly got into his pickup truck and drove away. He fired at officers through the rear window in a gunbattle and chase that lasted several miles, Swindle said.


Authorities believe he may have been shot before deputies rammed his vehicle. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital.


Friends who visited the son in the hospital Thursday night said he told them that his father was always open about having a collection of weapons. "And look now, he used them on us," Aurea Seanez quoted him as saying.


Estrada and Arroyo divorced in January 2004 after 22 years of marriage.


Tyler, population 86,000, calls itself the "Rose Capital of the Nation" and attracts about 100,000 visitors each October to the Texas Rose Festival. It is about 95 miles east of Dallas.





___

Associated Press writers Bobby Ross Jr. in Tyler and Liz Austin, Matt Curry and Lisa Falkenberg in Dallas contributed to this report

So sad. Abuse is abuse. Obviously he was a ticking time bomb.

people like this want control. when they can't control something they lose it. control and selfishness.

Shouldn't the question be: "Why are so many U.S. Citizens allowed to own firearms?"

BinaryJustin said:

A lot of these guys aren't using firearms to kill their wives (who are often pregnant) and children.

Before I even clicked on this thread, I said, "Because of Child Support Fleecing in broken relationships".


Something needs to be done about the dysfunction of divorce.

"So many men"?

CinisterCee said:

The FBI estimates approximately 1,500 women are killed each year by husbands or boyfriends.

http://www.coburnplace.org/facts.shtml

they are just plain ole' crazy...

applekisses said:

Do they have statistics on how many women cut off mens' penises, too?

There's just wayyyyy too many crazy people in the world. We should round them up and place them all in one place. Like Iowa, or something.

MrJoker said:

Those men deserve it.

It's time for us women to take over now, put those men in their place.

BinaryJustin said:

Yeah, another one with an AK-47. What is Fox renting them out for the weekend now that Schwarzenegger and Stallone films are no longer in vogue? Why the fuck is someone allowed to purchase a goddamn assault rifle?

Those aren't men. those are psychos.

VoicesCarry said:

This is the real issue here as I see it. Absolutely ridiculous.

Fauxie said:

..although I agree this is an issue..it's not the real issue...the real issue is spousal abuse which takes on many forms and doesn't always involve weapons...Since the Scott/Laci Peterson case, spousal abuse has become the new "paper-seller"..it certainly isn't a new problem and I'm not convinced it goes hand in hand with gun control issues...Just a thought, but maybe if the media took an interest in presenting clues that our friends and neighbors were victims of abuse rather than presenting these stories as the sensational "headline of the week"; steps could be taken to help those victims...

It is called Power and Control. As a survivor I was one of the lucky ones...because I agree men are now killing their wives/girlfriends/partners/significant others. (I have several theories on this ...specifically).
It is a complicated issue....here is some food for thought:

Women are the primary vicitms in Intimate Partmer killings and abuse
Same sex partners and men also suffer, though not in the same numbers...not even close
Guns, divorce, child support, infidelity, alcohol, etc. ...all of these are factors but are not the "cause" of intimate violence...if someone is an abuser or murderer of their intimate partner...they are seeking control...probably because they feel powerless in a realtionship in which they have previously assumed or had power.
Yes, publicity has increased since the Laci Peterson case but it is not a new problem. (Remember OJ Simpson?) A great many murders are not even reported as domestic violence!
People die every day at the hands of their partners. Preganancy in women is risk factor.
For the past 12 years, since my husband left me for dead, leterally, I have made every effort to bring informed awareness to this issue.
No ONE should suffer abuse or murder at the hands of a loved one...no one.
Children who witness this violence are very likely to become victms or perpetrators themselves.
Love is not jealousy or control. Love is understanding, patience, respect.

Domestic/family violence is not about victims enjoying the violence or perpetrators just snapping...it is the need to have control in a realtionship that is supposed to be about LOVE!

Thank you for asking the question JanFriend and I hope one day we won't have to ask.

roodboi said:

Maybe then people wouldn't be so surprised when the neighbour lady gets taken to the hospital in the middle of the night, bruised and bleeding.

roodboi said:

I agree with what u say here. What I meant by this being the real issue for me is that gun control is my main concern when I consider the manyfold problems the US faces. I don't see it as the primary cause in this instance, but rather a contributing factor to many kinds of wrongdoings, and something which might contribute to a lesser degree were the gun laws different. I think the statistics regarding violent gun related crimes (compared to other countries) are pretty clear in showing the gun culture in the US has a profoundly negative effect. Still, Americans vote to determine how they want the country run, so it's the right of the people to live in a violent society in exchange for whatever benefit putting guns in more peoples' hands might conceivably allow.

I posted this thread because I have noticed an increase in this withing the past 10 years. Has anybody else noticed that 10 years ago we didn't hear this on the news as much? I wonder what is causing this?

I have seen this all of my life. Growing up, you were told to mind your business and stay out of other folks business. You did not discuss what you saw. You either helped quietly or not at all. Within the last ten years, it is a popular thing to tell your personal business. Once celebrities started to admit what was going on in their lives, everyone else did too. Which helped change laws and the like. At first the scenario was if you told you would get in trouble, go to jail, etc. Now, abusers are telling the victims to be quiet and threatening them. Now the law does not need any help, if they get a whip they are taking everyone to jail who saw and did not tell and anyone else near by who could have helped. With CSI stuff now it is easier to find out what is going on. I am a survivor of much, thank you Jesus!

ShySlantedEye1 said:

I understand the horrible cycle of abuse, but I don't remember hearing on the news about men killing their wives or ex-wives as much as I do now. On the news today, there was a man that was arrested for murdering his ex-wife who was found in the trunk of her car last July

JanFriend I understand the horrible cycle of abuse, but I don't remember hearing on the news about men killing their wives or ex-wives as much as I do now

I think there are a couple of reasons...
OJ/Peterson and (why you are haring about it)
the consequences (real or perceived) that abusers feel they may receive for domestic violence (why it is happening).
I am sure there are other factors...but that is just my regarding the what I think are the main factors.