Veteran tackles man who allegedly shot woman at point-blank range

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A witness who didn't walk away ended up stopping an alleged killer.

When one man saw another man allegedly shoot a woman at point-blank range -- just a few feet away -- he knew he had to do something. And what he did next, some say, changed him from a witness into a hero.

It all started around 6:30pm on Houston's South Side at the Valero on Scott Street near the South Loop.

Chance Perkins stopped to fill up his tank after work, but then saw something near a white van and could not look away.

Perkins said, "I look out the corner of my eye and I see this silver pistol in this man's hand and I want to keep my distance and it was like ordering a pizza or something like that he just went one and done."

Perkins, a military veteran, says he saw the man shoot and kill the woman. But instead of running away in fear for his own life, he says his training kicked in and he tackled the alleged killer.

The female victim has been identified by police as Cyril Chatman Jones, 33.

"He still had his pistol in his hand and he shot at me," Perkins said. "He shot at me three times while I'm grabbing him and we're struggling."

Perkins finally got the man on the ground, but not before the shooter fired off one more shot.

Amazingly, Perkins was not hurt.

Perkins said, "In my heart, I know what's right. I knew it and when I saw that happen, I mean, I couldn't live with myself if I just walked away or if I just ran or something, you know, I couldn't do that."

Police arrested the man, now identified as James Lawrence McCarty, according to Harris County District Clerk's Office. He is charged with murder. Bond is set at $50,000. McCarty is due in court on Monday.