Days later, Standifer tracked McMahon to a cattle camp near Pony Creek, located in Coleman County.
Standifer drew and fired also, hitting McMahon in the wrist, causing his pistol to fall from his grip.
The two made it about 600 yards from where the shootout began, with Standifer shooting McMahon again in the back, knocking him from his saddle.
Standifer fled, making it to Marfa, Texas, where he became involved in a saloon argument with three soldiers from Fort Davis, during which he shot and wounded two of them, before fleeing.
Those shootings led to Standifer becoming known as a "gunman", and helped him in gaining employment as a Range Detective.
While serving as Sheriff, in 1891, he and Deputy Charlie Quillen pursued a group of Post Office thieves into Lincoln County, New Mexico, where they captured them.
On the return trip to Texas, while staying over at the VVN Ranch owned by George Neal, the outlaws attempted to overpower him and Deputy Quillen.
The deputy was shot and wounded in the chest with his own rifle, but was able to wrestle the outlaw to the floor and overpower him.
It has been written that the Horrell Brothers, who were brought down mostly through the efforts of "Pink" Higgins, and who were distant kin to Standifer, were part of the problems between them.
However, it is more likely that it was due to Higgins' son, Cullin, an attorney, who had represented Standifer's wife in her divorce from him.
Fred Horsbrugh, manager of the Spur Ranch, fired both Higgins and Standifer due to the increasing hostilities between them.