During a party at an apartment complex in Charleston, West Virginia, on Wednesday night, a man opened fire on the gathered crowd. But he was quickly stopped when a woman pulled out her pistol, fired and killed him.
Police said the incident could have been far deadlier if it had not been for the armed partygoer.
“Instead of running from the threat, she engaged with the threat and saved several lives last night,” Chief of Detectives Tony Hazelett said on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
The 37-year-old man, Dennis Butler, had driven through the apartment complex earlier in the evening and had been told to slow down because children were playing, the AP reported.
He later returned, parked in front of the complex and began firing with a rifle. No one at the party was injured.
Court records show that Butler had an extensive criminal history in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, WCHS-TV reported.
He had been arrested some 20 times in Kanawha County, West Virginia.
According to WCHS, charges against him were often dismissed because witnesses failed to show up to court.
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Butler faced unlawful and malicious wounding charges after a woman was shot in Charleston in 2016, the outlet reported.
He was also wanted by police on a misdemeanor charge of transferring and receiving stolen goods.
Since he was a convicted felon, Butler was not permitted to own firearms.
The identity of the woman who shot him is unknown.
She waited along with several witnesses for police to arrive at the scene and has cooperated in the investigation, according to authorities.
Hazlett said there would be no charges filed against her.
The Kanawha County Prosecutor’s office will review the circumstances surrounding the shooting, WCHS reported.
Detectives are looking into the origins of the gun Butler had.
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