A New Perspective On Life

Friday, September 8th 2006, 10:19 am

By: News On 6

The man accused of trying to shoot a TU employee goes before a Tulsa County judge in one week to see if he'll be allowed bond. Right now, Richard Hall is in the Tulsa County jail without bond on three felony counts.

His intended victim doesn't want to be identified and hasn't talked to the media about his near-death experience, but he did put his thoughts into writing. News on 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright has obtained a copy of that letter.

Richard Hall [pictured] is a former TU employee who was fired, then lost a worker's comp claim and eventually, had his home foreclosed on and sold at sheriff's auction.

It was just a couple weeks after that auction, when Tulsa Police say he walked into this building to confront his former boss. They say he had two loaded guns and plenty of ammo. Hall pointed the gun and pulled the trigger twice, it didn't fire either time. The victim says after the first click, he thought maybe the gun was a squirt gun, but after the second click, he realized it wasn't a toy and jumped up and grabbed the man's arms. He says the gun went up, went down, that it was like wrestling an elephant trunk.

Hall was taken to jail; the intended victim went back to work. He says parts of the day are a blur, but other moments, he will never forget, like the next time he looked in the mirror, he writes, "I am alive, this isn't a dream."

"The next time I put food to my lips, I am grateful. The next time I lay my head on my pillow, I still have something that I have promised to do." He says the incident shifted his priorities, to spending more time with his family, playing the piano and being with God.

As for the man who tried to kill him, the victim writes, in part, "I choose to forgive this man. It is up to him to ask God for forgiveness. It won't get him out of jail, but I believe it will keep him out of hell."

The victim believes the gun misfiring is a miracle and hopes the focus will be on that, not on him. The victim says he is not a hero, he was just trying to keep from being shot. He says the real guardian angel that day was the man who ran more than 200 feet to help the victim wrestle the suspect to the ground.