Gunman in Custody Battle Opens Fire at Church Fair

He's tackled by 'hero' bystanders
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted May 18, 2008 7:10 AM CDT
Gunman in Custody Battle Opens Fire at Church Fair
Police officers help people leave the area after a man shot three people at a church festival in Granada Hills.   (AP Photo/Gene Blevins)

Three people were wounded yesterday when a gunman involved in a child custody battle opened fire on his ex-girlfriend at a church school festival in San Fernando Valley, reports the Los Angeles Times. Families ran screaming as the gunman nonchalantly lifted his rifle and began squeezing off rounds in front of his 9-year-old son. Two bystanders tackled him and held him for police. All three victims are in stable condition.

"I heard a pop, pop, pop that sounded like balloons breaking," said one of the men who subdued the gunman. "I saw a guy with a rifle, then I saw kids running away screaming, and I thought, 'This is serious.' He looked so calm. He was big, but he wasn't fast."
(More crime stories.)

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