Harrowing footage captures moment 'hero' waiter tackles lawyer trying to shoot ex-wife
A heroic waiter tackled a man as he pointed a loaded gun at his ex-wife in an attempted 'public execution' on the opening night of a new restaurant in Ohio.
Dramatic footage of the moment when Matthew Exton, 43, on April 11, 2025, approaches his ex-wife as she's sat with her parents at a table, draws a gun out of his pocket, aims it at her and pulls the trigger was shown in court by prosecutors.
Thankfully, the safety mechanism that prevents guns from firing is on.
As Exton struggles with the gun, a waiter grabs him from behind and hauls him to the ground before he can try again as other restaurant patrons come to his aid to restrain him amid screaming and chaos.
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Exton, a former attorney, was convicted of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault, with two firearm specifications attached to each of the three counts, for the incident in Toledo.
He was acquitted on a third count of felonious assault.
Heroic waiter acted 'without thinking'
The waiter was the second witness to be called to give testimony during the trial and he testified that he acted without thinking as he rushed to save the woman, who has not been identified, as he 'didn't want her to die.'
“I tackled him, but he’s bigger than me, so he kind of fell on me, and I just grabbed the gun and tried to hold it with my hand over it,” the waiter said, as reported by Court TV.
Posecutor Rose Mary Mock said that the waiter 'heroically' tackling Exton, coupled with Exton being unable to fire the gun, meant a tragedy was averted.
She said: "That waiter saved at least three lives that day."
Why Exton tried to kill his ex-wife
During the trial, Exton testified that he had grown frustrated with how his ex-wife had handled certain aspects of their divorce proceedings after splitting in 2024.
He said he'd become homeless and was living out of a car or on the sofas of friends after the separation, despite being a prosecutor in Michigan and practising law in Ohio.
Exton pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and denied he had attempted to shoot her.
“I did not fire,” he said. “I did not hurt her. I did not try to hurt her.”
His ex-wife told police on April 13, 2025, that "the gun made rapid ‘click’ noises as he pulled the trigger" as Exton aimed the gun at her chest and pulled the trigger multiple times, reports NBC.
Following the guilty verdict, Lucas County Prosecuting Attorney, Julia R. Bates, reacted to the outcome in a press release.
“Nothing in their training and soft openings at the restaurant could have prepared the staff for what walked through that door,” she said.
“The defendant did not come with the intention of having a meal. He came with anger in him and with the intention to commit a public execution of his ex-wife at the restaurant that day.”
Bates continued: “We appreciate the jury’s service this week, and we hope its decision provides some sense of closure for those seated at the table as well as the Sabira employees who were also victimised that day.
“The employees and patrons who stepped in to stop the defendant that day are heroes.”
Exton's sentencing will be on September 21 and he faces up to 25 years in prison.
Daniel Murphy