A man accused of killing two people during an armed rampage in an Iowa neighborhood was confronted and shot by his neighbor, officials say.
Harrison Friar, a senior airman, was with his wife and children at their home in Glenwood on the evening of Aug. 6 when they heard a sound like fireworks, distant but growing nearer, according to a Sept. 24 U.S. Air Force release.
“It was so close that I felt there was something wrong, like really wrong,” his wife, Brielle Friar, told KETV.
Harrison Friar went outside and saw his neighbor firing “indiscriminately at homes,” Air Force officials said.
The man, identified as Dennis Burnell, 71, had killed two people, married couple Brandon and Stevie Oman, 38 and 35, then returned to his home across the street from Friar’s, according to the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
Investigators believe he killed the Omans because of an “interpersonal dispute.”
However, the violence didn’t stop there, as Burnell unleashed gunfire on his neighbors, and bullets ripped into Friar’s home, “even penetrating the walls of his children’s bedroom,” officials said.
“My first instinct was to keep my family safe, keep my neighbors safe, and keep my neighborhood safe,” Friar told KETV.
He retrieved a gun from his house and confronted Burnell, officials said.
Video obtained by KETV shows Friar, gun in hand, standing in his driveway, yelling across the street at Burnell to stop shooting. Burnell opens fire and Friar shoots back, the video shows.
He fired two shots from his handgun, hitting Burnell in his leg, causing him to retreat, Air Force officials said, adding that Friar’s actions bought time for police to arrive.
“Investigators later said his actions prevented additional loss of life, shielding not only neighbors but also the officers themselves from an assailant intent on mass violence,” the release said.
Investigators said Burnell had hundreds of rounds of ammo that he had planned on using against his neighbors, WOWT reported. Instead, he was contained inside his house as law enforcement arrived.
During the standoff, authorities say Burnell set his house on fire, WOWT reported.
He exited the home as it burned and was taken into custody, then taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to state investigators. He suffered severe burns and died two days after the shooting, on Aug. 8.
“(Harrison) Friar demonstrated extraordinary mental fortitude and valor in a moment of unimaginable duress,” Lt. Col. Rosemary Perez-Howell, his squadron commander, said in a release. “He embodies the noblest traditions of military service: selfless action, courage under fire, and commitment to protecting others.”
Glenwood is near Iowa’s border with Nebraska and is a roughly 140-mile drive southwest from Des Moines.
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