Witness captures moment suspected spy balloon is shot down
A man who witnessed the suspected Chinese spy balloon being shot down by military aircraft is sharing his story. He described the historic moment and how he was able to capture it.
“I just went for a walk and was hoping to see the dolphins — took my camera,” said Gordon Dunn.
He usually photographs wildlife, but on Saturday afternoon, he stumbled upon something else wild near his Myrtle Beach home.
“I knew something was up because I’ve never seen so many people out on the beach during the winter,” he said.
The suspected Chinese spy balloon was floating high above, with fighter jets darting around it.
“They kept getting closer and closer, and they were doing practice runs… towards the balloon and circling back out,” Dunn said.
As the planes shot the balloon, Dunn took photos from 60,000 feet below, capturing the moment with his 500-millimeter lens.
“They had shot it down, and about five, six seconds later, you could hear the boom,” he said. “Then, after the boom, you could see the parachute and bits and pieces falling.”
So, what was going through his mind when he realized what he was witnessing? “History,” he laughed. “This is probably the first and last time I’d ever get to see it.”
Dunn and his wife are from Canada but live in Myrtle Beach during the winter. He said he just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
It's something he will never forget.
“The memory will be there for as long as I'm around,” he said, and his photos will share that memory for generations to come.