‘I got rid of the S.O.B.’: Hear from the man whose actions ended the Austin clock tower shooting rampage

Austin, TX – There are generations of individuals dwelling due to Ramiro Martinez.

Martinez is the person who took down the sniper who shot and killed 14 folks from the College of Texas-Austin clock tower 56 years in the past.

“Ray Martinez was one of many bravest people I feel I’ve ever met,” mentioned Adrian Littlefield, who survived the capturing.

On August 1, 1966, Martinez went to UT to assist direct site visitors away from what had grow to be a tower of terror.

“I used to be glad that the nice Lord protected me and I removed the S.O.B.,” mentioned Martinez.

Charles Whitman, a 25-year-old marine sniper coping with psychological well being points, who solely hours earlier killed his spouse and mom, had taken over the tower. For effectively over an hour, Whitman picked off college students on campus and bystanders on neighboring streets.

Martinez arrived on the scene to concentrate on site visitors, however he rapidly took off operating to the tower.

“I didn’t cease to assume, simply wanted to get to the tower,” mentioned Martinez. “I wanted to get into the tower as a result of I’m positive that there’s an assault squad coming from the police division or someplace, , and they’re going in there and I have to get in there and assist them.”

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There was no assault squad.

With braveness in his bones and religion in his coronary heart, the then 29-year-old officer went up the tower.

“There was a person that got here out and he had a white pair of lady footwear in his palms, and there was blood on them,” mentioned Martinez. “He mentioned, ‘let me have your gun, I’ll go kill that SOB up there, he killed my household.’”

By that time, one other man raced up the tower and joined Martinez on his mission.

“He mentioned, ‘Are we taking part in for retains?’ And I checked out him and that’s after I realized that he was a civilian. And I mentioned, ‘You rattling proper we’re,’” mentioned Martinez.

Martinez says after they obtained to the highest of the tower, he instructed the person to take goal in case Whitman turned the nook. Martinez then took off to search for the sniper.

Backup arrived simply as Martinez was about to take motion

As Martinez searched the tower, different folks on the bottom tried to take out the sniper.

“Bullets had been coming over my head. They’d crack like that, ,” mentioned Martinez. “So long as I stayed under that ledge, across the walkway, I used to be going to be okay.”

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Seconds later, one other officer named Houston McCoy confirmed as much as assist. Collectively, they got here up on Whitman.

“I emptied my gun into him. I might inform that I used to be scoring. I used to be hitting him after which I used to be hollering at McCoy to shoot and McCoy lastly shot and hit him with a shotgun,” mentioned Martinez.

But, Whitman was nonetheless transferring.

“So, I fired yet one more spherical,” mentioned Martinez. “Form of a blur, it was so quick. However on the finish of that blur, is the conclusion that you simply simply killed. Yeah, there’s a useless man. I didn’t really feel sorry for him.”

The KPRC2 crew was in Austin for the fiftieth anniversary of the assault – for the dedication of a memorial close to the tower.

Fourteen useless, 31 injured, and Martinez ended the 96 minutes of terror.

“He needed the carnage to cease,” mentioned Littlefield.

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Adrian Littlefield was a 19-year-old newlywed that day. Each he and his spouse had been shot.

“My thanks are unending for him stopping the scenario that would have led to rather more destruction and loss of life than what we skilled,” mentioned Littlefield.

Perspective on latest mass shootings

Martinez took fast motion to cease the capturing that day 56 years in the past. KPRC 2 Investigates Mario Diaz additionally requested Martinez for his perspective on the Robb Elementary college capturing in Uvalde on Could 24, 2022. The 2 incidents are separated by a long time and contain completely different circumstances, like weapons. Nonetheless, Martinez shares his ideas on the variations in responses. You may watch that right here: