Josh Williams, of Texas, is being hailed as a hero – for single-handedly stopping a sexual assault. Yet another, of innumerable instances, of a good guy with a gun saving the day!
As reported by his local TV station, Williams almost didn’t take his gun along with him as he headed out for a weekly run on the Hike and Bike Trail in Austin, Texas on the morning of 15th September. But as he had a habit of taking his Glock 43 everywhere with him – a habit of 10 years.
At around 5:30AM it was still dark when Williams suddenly heard a woman’s screams on the trail where he was running. He followed the source of the screaming, and found a woman being attacked.
“I came up, pulled my gun and told him to get off of her,” Josh told the Television Reporter adding that he had ordered the man to get on his knees and to show his hands. “That way I knew he didn’t have a weapon. And at that point he was no threat so I didn’t feel the need to shoot him.”
Though the man ran off, Williams took the victim along to safety and waited with her until police had arrived.
The woman had thanked Williams repeatedly, and they plan on staying in touch in the future. Williams concluded, “That’s what it’s all about anyway — to help other people with it [the gun], not just myself.”
Because of the description that Williams and the woman provided to the authorities, police were quickly able to arrest the 22-year-old African American, Richard McEachern. The suspect has been charged with sexual assault and is being held in Jail.
The incident on the running trail was the first time Williams had ever pointed his gun at another human, the local news station reported. “I didn’t think I’d ever have to pull it,” Josh had told the station. “Did I want to? No, not at all. But just … right place, right time.”
