Tesla CEO Elon Musk praised the unnamed West Virginia woman who used a pistol to shoot and kill a man who opened fire on a party.
On Saturday night, Musk tweeted: “Wow, good for her and saving those people!”
He was responding to a tweet that described the story as “a good gal stops a bad guy with a gun” tweeted by an account arguing against restrictions on gun ownership.
The tweet from user @RimmerTurk tagged Musk, saying: “There are legitimate reasons to carry. Help us counter the lies by anti gunners!”
According to the Charleston Police Department, the woman shot the man dead after he opened fire on a party of 30 to 40 people. Police said the attack followed him being asked not to speed earlier that day.
The man, later identified as Dennis Butler, started firing into the crowd on Wednesday night with an AR-15-style firearm, said police spokesman Tony Hazelett.
This prompted the female bystander to use a pistol to shoot and kill Butler, the police said. The woman hasn’t been named.
“She’s just a member of the community who was carrying her firearm lawfully and instead of running from the threat, she engaged with the threat and saved several lives last night,” Hazelett said.
Butler died from multiple gunshot wounds.
Hazelett said there were no other injuries. He said there will be no charges filed against the woman.
Musk’s tweet came at a time when the debate over stricter gun control measure laws has intensified after the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas
On Wednesday, a day after the shooting, Musk laid out his stance on gun control in an email to CNBC. Musk said he supports mass gun ownership but wanted “tight” background checks before people can purchase them.
Musk said he supports gun ownership as a “safeguard” against tyrannical government.
In June 2021 President Joe Biden mocked people who make arguments like Musk’s, saying “if you think you need to have weapons to take on the government, you need F-15s and maybe some nuclear weapons.”
Musk did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment on Sunday morning.