Authors: Gary M. Lavergne

Tags: #History, #United States, #General, #State & Local, #Southwest (AZ; NM; OK; TX), #True Crime, #Murder, #test

A Sniper in the Tower (83 page)

Page 284

wanted to know more about him and what he had done. They also wanted to talk to him. Chief Miles replied: "He's too shook up. I wonder how you'd feel if you had just crawled past four bodies on the stairs, one a child with his tongue protruding, en route to the parapet." Either Miles could have pointed out that Houston McCoy had a great deal to do with killing Charles Whitman and did not, or he was not in command of the facts when he issued his statement.

The next day's edition of the
Austin American-Statesman
had the caption "Shoots Slayer" below a picture of Ramiro Martinez that was even larger than the picture of Charles Whitman. Martinez had neither issued any statement nor spoken to any reporter. On the contrary, he chose to stay at his brother's home in order to avoid reporters. Reports about what Houston McCoy had done were limited to textual references. His picture did not appear in the newspaper until the following Friday, when he arrived to testify before the grand jury. If, indeed, there is injustice in the recognition of Ramiro Martinez as the lone slayer of the sniper and in the lack of recognition given to Houston McCoy, it is due to the first statements issued to the mass media from the Austin Police Departmentstatements issued by Chief Miles.

The words of both men should be remembered by those who would continue this silly and senseless debate, which distracts from the incredible acts of courage and heroism displayed by both Martinez and McCoy.


Ramiro Martinez in 1975: "We were both shooting and we were both scared. I don't know who actually killed him. Only God knows that."


Houston McCoy in 1986: "I want to be remembered as someone who did his job to the best of his ability, that's all."


Ramiro Martinez in 1986: "Who fired the fatal projectile? I could care less. I don't get into that type of argument."

Page 285


Houston McCoy in 1986: "Ramiro was a brave man and I take nothing away from him. As for me, you can't make too many mistakes with a shotgun."


Ramiro Martinez in 1991: "I think we were equally important out there together. I have nothing but admiration for Houston McCoy." ²⁷

Both men deserve the peace of knowing that each did his job heroically. The recognition that Ramiro Martinez received for his part in ending the Tower incident was richly deserved. It is unfortunate that Houston McCoy did not receive similar recognition, which he also deserved. The bitterness of the debate overshadowed the obvious: they made a great team. Ramiro served as a catalyst for Houston's firepower, and both were necessary to kill Charles Whitman.

1 Levin and Fox,
Mass Murder: America's Growing Menace
, pp. ix and 7.

2 Ibid., p. 55.

3 Ibid., pp. 4748, 5368, 118.

4 Ibid., p. 60. For an excellent discussion of the MacDonald Triad see pp. 2729, 3637.

5 I am indebted to Dr. Richard Sawyer of Iowa City, Iowa, for his valuable assistance in the construction of the prediction model. See also Ibid., pp. 3536; Fox and Levin,
Overkill
, p. 89.

6
Austin American-Statesman
, 4 August 1966; Ford Clark and anonymous caller quoted on 5 August 1966.

7 Ibid.

8 Ibid.

9 Ben Neel to Antonio Calderon, letter dated 18 September 1974 in APD Files. Apparently McCoy sent a copy of his personal papers to the Austin Police Department for inclusion in the Whitman File.

Other books

Soccer Jocks of Morocco: Arab Str8 Studs (Gay Arab Football Lovers Book 3) by Sidi Abbin

The Local News by Miriam Gershow

Bombs Away by John Steinbeck

Without Limits: Austin (Rugged Riders Book 4) by Ambrielle Kirk

Viking's Desire: Sexy-Romance Novel: A Viking Love Story by Sharp, Catherine

Seer: Reckless Desires (Norseton Wolves Book 8) by Holley Trent

The Boy by Lara Santoro

Hothouse Flower by Krista Ritchie, Becca Ritchie

Dr. O by Robert W. Walker

Scarred by Jennifer Willows