# Source note — Raul Mendez / Fourth of July defensive-gun-use story Date checked: 2026-07-20 ## Evidence label Behind the Trigger / defensive-gun-use source-check. The Facebook video is a long podcast/interview account. The underlying shooting story is corroborated by later Fox News and firearms-publication coverage, but the video itself is not incident footage and no original police file was located in this pass. ## Lead URL - User URL: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CzvrwRyz3/?mibextid=wwXIfr - Canonical Facebook video: https://www.facebook.com/61584324458655/videos/please-accept-our-apologies-for-the-delay/1641294476929738/ - YouTube copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma7CHZVvlBI ## Facebook metadata captured - Title/description excerpt: 330K views · 8.1K reactions | ****The Whole Story**** He was shot in the head at point-blank range during a Fourth of July family gathering. His pregnant wife thought he was dead. Instead, he got back up, ran toward the gunfire, and stopped the mass shooter before even more innocent people were killed. This is one of the most unbelievable survival stories we've ever featured on the Lunatics & Legends Podcast. In this raw and emotional conversation, Raul Mendez shares, in incredible detail, what happened the night a crazed gunman opened fire on a house full of families. After taking a bullet through his head and losing an eye, Raul made a decision that would save countless lives. We discuss: The terrifying moments before the shooting began What it feels like to survive a gunshot to the head How his pregnant wife protected their children during the attack Why he chose to run toward the danger instead of away from it The mindset that carried him through recovery Why he refuses to see himself as a victim The importance of personal responsibility and mental resilience Lessons on courage, preparedness, and protecting the people you love This isn't just a story about surviving tragedy—it' - Uploader from yt-dlp: Lunatics and Legends - Upload date: 20260628 - Duration: 4819.455 seconds - Video ID: 1641294476929738 ## Transcript excerpt ```text [0.00-5.00] This is the Lunatics & Legends Podcast, today we are here with Roamendez. [5.00-11.00] You have an insane story, probably one of the wildest stories that we've had on this show, flat out. [12.00-22.00] You were at a 4th of July party with your family, and a crazed gunman came in and shot you in the side of the head. [23.50-27.50] I don't want to tell your story, I want you to tell your story. [27.50-29.50] Tell us what you remember, brother. [30.50-35.50] Well shit, this was a few years ago, it's going to be 4 years this July. [36.50-44.50] But it's a moment that you'll never forget something unreal, something that most people think, [45.50-48.50] from a movie, this shit will never happen to me. [48.50-52.50] This shit doesn't happen. It's uncommon or something like that. [53.50-64.50] But, you know, we were invited, pregnant wife, my two daughters, you know, invited to, you know, 4th of July party at a friend's house that we've always gathered. [65.50-72.50] So it was not the new, not a stranger, nothing like that, and other families, other friends. [73.50-81.50] And it was just another day, you know, celebrate our freedom and, you know, get together for those laughs and those memories. [83.50-87.50] My God, did that become a damn memory, a bad one, you know. [88.50-93.50] So we're hanging out in this neighbor, you know, I'd never met him. [94.50-99.50] So we're on my buddy's house, and we're lighting fireworks, and he comes over and introduces himself. [100.50-110.50] You know, my friend, he's seen him here and there, wave at each other from what he said, never really formally introduced or actually had a chat. [110.50-116.50] But, you know, he's lived there for years, waving at each other every time, you know, they see each other out and, you know. [118.50-128.50] And so eventually, you know, small groups, we all start making our way into the house, and, you know, this guy follows the crowd. [129.50-137.50] You know, he goes into the house and, you know, my buddy, being a good neighbor, a good host, you know, we're all there. [137.50-146.50] He says, hey, well, like shit, you're here, you're my neighbor, I've seen you for a few years, but, you know, something to eat, something to drink, you know, sit down. [148.50-155.50] So he does, sits down in the, you know, kitchen island, played a food and everything, he starts eating. [157.50-162.50] And in that kitchen island, you have an empty bar stool, you know, to the left. [163.50-176.50] And then next to that was my wife, next to my wife was, you know, another, another female, one of my buddies right across from, from him, from the neighbor. [177.50-188.50] And in the middle of eating, I don't know what happened, something clicked on his head, you know, that mental illness, whatever the hell it is, you know. [188.50-202.50] Fucking demon possessed him, I don't know, but he stands up, pulls out a pistol and just shoots my buddy right across from him, not provoked, not nothing. [203.50-210.50] Shoot some ones in the throat, he doesn't fall, so he shoots him again, my buddy then falls. [211.50-219.50] You know, my wife is to the left of him, I'm probably about, you know, 10 feet to the left of him. [220.50-230.50] I'm standing in the dining area from what my wife tells me, I guess I was talking to somebody, I don't know the hell I was doing in the dining room, but I was standing. [231.50-234.50] My back is, you know, faced my wife and the gunman. [235.50-243.50] So he shoots my buddy twice, then turns to the left, and of course he sees me and my wife drops to the floor. [243.50-245.50] Yeah, you're pregnant wife. [245.50-246.50] I pregnant wife. [246.50-257.50] So hearing those gunshots, the, you know, people thought, you know, somebody lit off a firework in the house or something, like what the hell you guys doing. [257.50-258.50] Right. [258.50-269.50] But I turned to my right, you know, so I hear, you know, boom, boom, so I turn by the time I'm turning, you know, no, no chance to see what the head is going on. ``` ## Visual findings - Contact sheet shows an indoor podcast/interview setup with two men, microphones and headphones. - No incident footage, guns, police response, bodycam, dispatch audio or courtroom footage is visible in the sampled frames. - The thumbnail is a close-up of the guest’s face/headphones, not a scene from the shooting. ## Corroborating context located - Fox News reported Arizona resident and concealed-carry holder Raul Mendez was shot in the head during a July 3 Fourth of July party; suspect Jason Hunt opened fire, two men were killed, four others were seriously injured, and Mendez later shot Hunt four times. - A second Fox News article described Mendez later training others in self-defense and becoming an NRA instructor. - Athlon Outdoors/Ballistic reported the same core account: Jason Hunt, a neighbor of the host, opened fire; Mendez was shot in the head; his pregnant wife protected children; Mendez drew from concealment and stopped the attacker. - NRA/X and John Stossel-related X results also discuss the case as a defensive-gun-use example, but advocacy posts are treated as commentary, not primary proof. ## Cautions - This article should not be framed as tactical advice or a universal prescription. - This is U.S./Arizona context; Canadian carry and defensive-firearm law are very different. - Avoid telling readers to carry or intervene. Frame as source-check/accountability/story analysis. - State clearly that the podcast is a personal account and later media coverage, not original police/court record.