Well, OK that isn’t exactly what the article said; but it certainly seems to be what it implied. Let me explain, and by the way, quotes/italics denoted contents are taken directly from the local L.R. paper, The Arkansas Democrat Gazette. ‘[Store-owner]’ is used rather than the man’s real name to avoid inciting the prosecuting attorney to take further action against this fine upstanding hero of a small businessman.)
Two masked miscreants enter a small grocery store, think typical convenience store size, and per the article in The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, “put the weapon to [Store-owner’s] chest and said, ‘Give me the money, give me the money,’ according to a police account in the case”.
“[Store-owner] opened the cash register and said, ‘Take it.’ But one of the robbers said ‘all the money,’ pointing to a place below the cash register where [store-owner] said he keeps extra cash. The robber then jumped over the counter and removed the money from the register while [store-owner] collected the other money.”
“The robber then jumped back over the counter, at which point [store-owner]; pulled a Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver from under the counter. [Store-owner] told officers that he got off five or six shots, striking both of the robbers.”
….. “They fled in a maroon Oldsmobile Alero, leaving behind a trail of blood…. They didn’t get far, deciding to pull over…. And dial the universal emergency number.”
“ ‘The robbers called 911 and said they were shot’, said Lt. Terry Hastings, a L.R. police spokesman. ‘They told us where they were. It makes our job a lot easier.’ “
“Police typically don’t encourage civilians to use lethal force, though ‘store owners do have that right’, Hastings said. An account of the event will be forwarded to the prosecuting attorney’s office, but Hastings said ‘we’re not anticipating any (charges) at this time’ against Store-owner.”
An article in The Arkansas Democrat Gazette on a subsequent day added this tidbit of information,” When the gunman walked back out from behind the counter after having leapt over it, [store-owner] said, he saw the man raising his pistol at him. [Store-owner] said he had heard stories of robbers shooting employees even after they had what they came for.”
“…Hastings said police will be investigating [the robbers] possible involvement with a chain of unsolved robberies that occurred throughout southwest Little Rock over the past few months.”
So there we have it. Two masked miscreants enter a store and place the muzzle end of a pistol against the store-owner’s chest and the local police spokesman offers this opinion, “Police typically don’t encourage civilians to use lethal force, though ‘store owners do have that right”.
Now I’ve never personally been caught staring at the muzzle end of a pistol pointed at my chest by a masked miscreant, but if ever it does occur, I will confess right up front, I’ll not be concerned with shooting to wound rather than shooting to kill. I’ll be primarily concerned with not being murdered. But if I decide that my best chance to survive is to ‘draw and fire’, I’ll not worry about trying to only wound the miscreant.
I recently attended a class to obtain a handgun license; it included firing a pistol. I am very impressed with [store-owner]. First he had a revolver, it is ready to fire: no clip to insert, no chamber to load, no safety to release. If the revolver is double action, just pull the trigger and it goes “bang”. Second he had a .357 magnum; a caliber of sufficient power to really discourage or stop a miscreant from doing you further harm. Third, and most impressive, he fired 5 or 6 times and hit both miscreants without allowing them time to shoot and wound or kill him.
It really perturbs me that [store-owner] is having insult heaped upon his terrifying experience. Per the Police Lieutenant, “An account of the event will be forwarded to the prosecuting attorney’s office, but Hastings said ‘we’re not anticipating any (charges) at this time’ against [store-owner].” At this time! Give me a break. This man is a hero! Surely the prosecuting attorney will recognize [store-owner] as a hero. If [store-owner] is due any reprimand, it is for poor marksmanship, for he left himself exposed to being wounded or killed. Plus now the citizens of L.R. will not only be paying the hospital bills for these two, but their ‘room and board’ while pending trial, and then for their long term residency at the State’s Institution for the Criminally Inept.
Still, I am a little perturbed that the local police don’t cottin to civilians using lethal force to defend themselves. What does the Police Lieutenant suggest that a plain old civilian do? There are only three possible outcomes; you shoot the robber; the robber shoots you; or the robber just walks away and leaves you there to provide the police with whatever details you can supply to assist in their subsequent capture of said robber. The Police Lieutenant apparently opines that you should opt for the second or third of these: either being shot, or hoping the robber just walks away. But if you are so terrified for your life as to shoot at the robber, you are not “encouraged… to use lethal force”!
Under the Police Lieutenant’s scenario, the following seem to be the recommended responses by the “civilian”, read that as you or me. One, hope the robber misses with all his bullets should he fire at you. Two, hope that the robber will just walk out and leave you unharmed. Perhaps the “civilian”, you or me, should encourage this “robberly” action by dropping to your knees and resorting to prayer as a first line of defense. Or try to gain an empathetic relationship with the robber by begging for your life. Like claiming you have 13 children, your wife is an invalid, both sets of aging parents are dependent on you for their sole care and support, and you rescue stray Golden Retrievers. Or perhaps just ask the robber to wait while you call 911.
When facing the business end of a robber’s revolver, lethal force by the civilian seems fine with me. Shoot ‘em in the front, shoot ‘em in the back, or shoot ‘em in the side. As the ex-cop who taught the ‘CHCL’ class I attended said, “If they come into to your house when you are there, they know you are there. They are willing, and have no hesitancy, to do you harm. Shoot to kill. If you wound him, he can still kill you.” That makes more sense to me than what Lt. Hastings was quoted as saying. Still I’m grateful everyday for the men and women who put on their uniform and pin on that badge of courage and go out and risk their lives for me, and for you. Still, if I’m ever in [store-owner’s] situation, wounding the miscreant will not be the first thing on my mind.
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