A video seen by nearly 22 million people captured the precise moment a man was shot, with the footage being recorded by the victim himself.
The incident took place back in August in Friendsville, Tennessee. But there was no spirit of friendship as an elderly man, Jeffery Scott West, threatened to shoot Kyle Spitze.
It’s not clear what the dispute was over, but the bizarre video begins with West issuing the threat while a woman with her shorts down around her ankles tries to hold him off. She succeeds in shutting the bedroom door as Spitze lays in bed recording the entire exchange.
“Shoot me and I guarantee you go to jail for life,” he said as the door closed, unfazed by the handgun West was holding.
One man dead, another recovering from a gunshot wound to his right ear
A 24-year-old man named Kyle W. Spitze was wounded but not critically in a shooting incident at a home on Quarry Hollow Road. Spitze and another resident of the home were outside when investigators arrived… pic.twitter.com/0A4N0nJSWT
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) January 16, 2024
When Spitze hears West threaten to not only shoot him but the woman as well, he gets out of bed and goes to confront him.
“You’re going to blow my mom’s brains out?” he asked, before daring, “Point that gun at me again!”
Not only did West point the gun at Spitze, he pulled the trigger. The camera drops down to show the floor, where blood can be pouring from Spitze.
Turns out, he was only hit in the ear and he and the woman managed to get out of the house and call 911, according to WVLT.
As for West, things did not turn out well for him.
Blunt County Sheriff’s Office’s Crisis Negotiations and SWAT teams arrived at the home and tried to negotiate with West and convince him to surrender, to no avail.
“A K-9 officer was deployed shortly before 11 p.m. and discovered West dead inside the home from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” the CBS affiliate reported.
For some, the moral of the story may be not to taunt an armed man when he threatens to shoot you. Others suggested that all three figures appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story, as seen on X:
Damn this is methed up
— Gregory Writes & Wages (@FantasyGregory) January 16, 2024
The dedication to keep that camera up and rolling after getting shot is impressive
— Taylor Day (@TABYTCHI) January 16, 2024
the amount of people who think a person with a gun aimed at them wouldn’t shoot, REALLY confuses me. pic.twitter.com/yUGFELyOdg
— Kevin D (@MisunderstNomad) January 16, 2024
As someone who grew up with this, after it plays out 100 times you don’t expect the trigger to actually get pulled.
— Don Smith (@DonSmit02752520) January 16, 2024
This whole family sounds like they been popping perc 30s all day.
— Eric The Red (@LeftyWithaGLOCK) January 16, 2024
That’s one wild-ass household. pic.twitter.com/kRqdyvq18u
— Whoa! Shut It Down (@rightsofrefusal) January 16, 2024
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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