A happy ending to a horrible crime.

An armed passerby has shot dead a gunman who opened fire on a packed Oklahoma restaurant in a terrifying shooting which left a woman and two children injured.

The shooter, a white male who was wearing eye glasses and ear protection at the time, was confronted by a person standing outside the restaurant as he tried to flee, and shot dead.

He was the only person killed in the shooting, which left four in hospital, and Police Captain Bo Matthews told reporters the armed civilian was ‘a blessing’.

Along with the victims, I always find myself sympathizing with the bystander in stories like this. It is no small thing to shoot someone – no matter how necessary it is – and it will have lifetime consequences for the bystander.