TOLEDO, Ohio (VINnews) —Chilling surveillance video showing an Ohio attorney trying to shoot his ex-wife inside a restaurant has surfaced publicly after being shown for the first time during his trial.
Matthew Exton, 43, was convicted of attempted murder and two counts of felonious assault in connection with the April 11, 2025, attack at an Italian restaurant in Toledo. He was acquitted of another felonious assault charge.
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The dramatic surveillance footage shows Exton approaching his ex-wife as she sat with family inside the restaurant. He pulled out a loaded handgun and pointed it directly at her.
Exton appeared to pull the trigger, but the gun did not fire because its safety was still engaged, according to prosecutors. As he appeared to manipulate the weapon in an attempt to fire, waiter Tracy Cole Jr. rushed toward him and tackled him to the ground.
The restaurant erupted as staff members and patrons moved in to help restrain Exton.
The gun was loaded with one round in the chamber and seven additional rounds in the magazine, according to prosecutors.
The footage was presented as evidence during the trial and has now been made public, more than a year after the attack. News organizations began publishing the video this week following Exton’s conviction.
Prosecutors said Exton had been drinking at a nearby bar when he spotted his former wife and her family at the restaurant. He initially sent a drink to her table before leaving.
He later returned with the loaded handgun, prosecutors said.
His ex-wife told authorities that Exton pointed the gun at her chest and pulled the trigger multiple times. She said the gun made rapid clicking sounds as he attempted to fire, according to a statement cited by NBC News.
Cole’s intervention prevented Exton from getting another opportunity to fire the weapon.
Lucas County Prosecutor Julia Bates praised the restaurant employees and patrons who intervened, saying the staff had no way of knowing what was about to happen when Exton entered the restaurant.
Prosecutors argued that Exton intended to kill his former wife. Bates characterized the attack as an attempted public execution.
Exton denied that he intended to kill her.
During his trial, he testified that he pointed the loaded gun at his ex-wife to pressure her to speed up the sale of their former home. He said he did not intend to pull the trigger or hurt her.
Exton and his ex-wife had divorced in 2024. His law license was suspended following the attack, effectively ending his career as an attorney.
Exton faces up to 25 years in prison. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 21.
The newly public footage offers a first look at the terrifying moments inside the restaurant that prosecutors said could have ended in a killing — and shows how quickly a waiter intervened when Exton’s gun failed to fire.
Holy Toledo!
Yes, he DID pull the trigger with safety ON before realizing and trying pin it off. Guilty as charged.
Please keep these types of stories and videos coming! Having them all here is keeping me off of all the secular news sites.