James Young "Red" McDaniel, a 53-year-old Caucasian male from Daingerfield, Texas, tragically lost his life on June 22, 1980. McDaniel, a railroad shop foreman at the Texas & Northern Railroad and a member of the First Baptist Church of Daingerfield, died as a result of his heroic efforts to save others during a mass shooting at his church.
On that fateful Sunday morning, Alvin King III, a former high school math teacher, entered the First Baptist Church armed with multiple weapons. He began firing at the congregation, killing five people and injuring ten others. As the chaos unfolded, McDaniel courageously intervened, attempting to subdue the shooter. During the struggle, McDaniel was shot multiple times, but he managed to push King out of the church doors, where King continued to fire at him until he eventually ran away.
Despite McDaniel's bravery, he succumbed to his injuries later that day. Another man, Kenneth Truitt, who also tried to help subdue the shooter, was fatally wounded in the process. The incident left a lasting impact on the small community of Daingerfield, and a monument was erected outside the church to honor the victims and the heroism of McDaniel and Truitt.
The shooter, Alvin King III, was later arrested and charged with murder. However, before his trial could begin, he committed suicide by hanging himself in the Morris County Jail. The tragic events of that day remain a somber reminder of the impact of violence and the extraordinary courage displayed by individuals like James Young "Red" McDaniel.
