Transcript · In the film
Mychael Waller
Nashville, Tennessee
- In the film
- 8 lines in 1 scene, 290 words. First speaks at 33:42.
- Elsewhere
- In the credits · IMDb
16. MYCHAEL WALLER: THREE TIMES — NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
MYCHAEL WALLER
So I'm used to, like, just training for, like, defensive shooting, so this is— I do clay shoot, but it's a little bit different, like you say.
MYCHAEL WALLER
No. I shoot to stop them. So in both situations, I just shot to stop them. When they stop moving, I stop shooting.
MYCHAEL WALLER
First one, I was walking with my five-year-old son. His name's MJ, Mychael Waller Jr. We were in Chicago, we lived at the time, and I was going home. And as I was walking with him, a Latino male approached me in the alley, around 3:40 in the afternoon, so it was broad daylight, kind of looked like this. And, you know, pulls out a gun, starts throwing up gang signs. And as he started approaching me, I then go to shield my son behind me, and I go for my firearm. And when he sees my firearm, he opened fire, misses, and I returned fire, hitting him. And we just are, at that point, we're just exchanging gunfire. We're in a gunfight. It feels like forever, but it's happening within seconds. He lifts his head up. When he lifts his head up, I take a shot at his head, and he goes down.
MYCHAEL WALLER
I think what helps me every time, every night I think about it, is just knowing that my son's okay. That kind of helps me get through, you know, those moments, you know. And now my wife and children, they really help me, you know, keep pushing through, because it gets hard at times, you know, taking life. But it was either our lives or his. So it was a pretty easy choice to make.
Every line as spoken in the film, from the full transcript. Times are from the picture-locked cut; children’s names are withheld. Quotation with attribution is welcome. Spotted a mistake? [email protected]