TN - Knife wielding attacker shot dead.

[Irish]

http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-man-with-knife-shot-dead,0,2103052.story

FAST FACTS:
Man with knife at Family Dollar store shot dead by customer
Shooter had two children with him
Witnesses say shooting was self-defense

(Memphis 3/5/10) Chaos erupted at a Family Dollar store when a man with a knife chased customers and was shot dead.

Witnesses at the store near Delano and North Watkins say the attacker picked the wrong victim.

"He got what he deserved," says one woman. "It's as simple as that."

Police say a man with a knife raced through the parking lot just after 3:00 p.m.. Witnesses say the man chased a delivery driver and others, but was killed when he tried to lunge his knife at one driver leaving the parking lot. The driver pulled a gun and killed his attacker on the spot.

"I just seen him shoot down. I thought he was just shooting in the ground. Obviously, he was shooting the gentleman with the knife," says Byron Cook who watched the ordeal from start to finish, along with his three year-old grandson.

Witnesses say two little girls were inside the car when the attacker lunged at the driver.

"He had his two step-daughters in the car with him. So, he really was trying to look out for them when he shot him," says Brandon Jones, who says the girls appeared to be younger than ten. "Yeah, they saw everything that happened. One of them was real shaken."

Jones heard roughly six shots, then saw the man on the ground with the butcher knife still in hand. Witnesses can't make sense of the attacker's motive, but they're certain the shooting was self-defense.

"He did the right thing by taking care of his business," says Jones. "The girls are safe."

"You've got to protect yourself," says Cook. "He had his two kids in the car and they were terrified."

"Self defense," says one woman. "That's what I would have done, the same thing."

Witnesses say the shooter was stabbed, but appeared to be okay. Police have not released the name of the attacker.

[bulbvivid]

I guess if you run around trying to get somebody to kill you, it might just happen.

[SeriousStudent]

I am sad to hear the two young girls had to witness such a thing.

I am also positive that it would have been much more traumatic to see their grandfather be murdered before their own eyes.

I hope that the the defender has no legal troubles from this, and that he and his grandchildren quickly put this behind them.

[Lee Indy]

never bring a knife to a gun fight

[EzGoingKev]

"He got what he deserved," says one woman. "It's as simple as that."

Sounds like a smart woman.

[LegalAlien]

I am sad to hear the two young girls had to witness such a thing.

I am also positive that it would have been much more traumatic to see their grandfather be murdered before their own eyes.

I hope that the the defender has no legal troubles from this, and that he and his grandchildren quickly put this behind them.

And the grandfather could also have avoided having to traumatize the little girls by closing all his car windows and locking all doors and driving off.

NE way - he stopped a threat to society.

[SeriousStudent]

That is if he was in the car, and able to drive off. If he was not in the car, but outside of it, he might not.

Dennis Tueller's advice is always good to keep in mind.

[stoneburner]

"I just seen him shoot down. I thought he was just shooting in the ground. Obviously, he was shooting the gentleman with the knife,"

This is like the second or third time recently that I've seen some crazy armed nutcase referred to as a "gentleman." It's not synonymous with "male" and I wish people would stop using it as if it were.

[JonnyVain]

And the grandfather could also have avoided having to traumatize the little girls by closing all his car windows and locking all doors and driving off.

NE way - he stopped a threat to society.

That would have left the guy to kill someone else.

[LegalAlien]

That is if he was in the car, and able to drive off. If he was not in the car, but outside of it, he might not.

Dennis Tueller's advice is always good to keep in mind.

per the news report:-

when he tried to lunge his knife at one driver leaving the parking lot

my bold - seems to be a fairly good indication that it was not a pedestrian leaving the parking lot :D

[SeriousStudent]

per the news report:-


my bold - seems to be a fairly good indication that it was not a pedestrian leaving the parking lot :D

You misunderstand, I am not disagreeing that it's almost always preferable not to shoot. I have had multiple opportunities to use lethal force in my life, and have been able to mostly avoid doing so.

And per the news report, it does not state if the windows on the car were down, if the attacker could have stabbed the girls, or many other details. We likely both understand that news reports are always accurate in every detail, and are never mistaken. (engage sarcasm filter, please)

Non-violence is a habit that often takes two or more people to practice.

The point of my post is that I am glad the three innocents were not harmed. That's all. Feel free to take from that whatever you want. I'm just glad that two children were not killed.

[LegalAlien]

You misunderstand, I am not disagreeing that it's almost always preferable not to shoot. I have had multiple opportunities to use lethal force in my life, and have been able to mostly avoid doing so.

And per the news report, it does not state if the windows on the car were down, if the attacker could have stabbed the girls, or many other details. We likely both understand that news reports are always accurate in every detail, and are never mistaken. (engage sarcasm filter, please)

Non-violence is a habit that often takes two or more people to practice.

The point of my post is that I am glad the three innocents were not harmed. That's all. Feel free to take from that whatever you want. I'm just glad that two children were not killed.

I agree with you - we have limited information from the news report, and drawing conclusions from incomplete info can lead to misunderstandings.
For all we know, he (the shooter) had no other alternative. We can keyboard quarterback all we want, but only the shooter really knows what the ultimate threat level was and what the appropriate action was under those circumstances.

[Macx]

And the grandfather could also have avoided having to traumatize the little girls by closing all his car windows and locking all doors and driving off.

NE way - he stopped a threat to society.


It is impossible to break car windows, especially if you are jacked up on some drugs or whacked out on something that might make you get crazy with a knife in public. Cross traffic always parts to allow easy exit from a parking lot onto a road. There is never another car ahead of you, waiting for cross traffic to clear, when you see the crazy guy coming with the knife.

Shoot, I have found myself trying to leave a parking lot and get on the main road being harassed by "agressive pan handlers" . . . I get it, the line between "give me a $5" and "give me the effen car" can be pretty fine some times once the engagement starts. Add that he had vulnerable children in the car . . . glad it turned out right.

[jhs1969]

I've had my TN carry permit from the first year they became available. Over 15 years now (closing in on 20 yrs). And I can tell you from our permit classes that we are instructed to protect inocent lives, in fact we were told we are responsible for the protection of inocents, legally responsible. I do not know what, if any legal pit falls await some CCW holder who chose not to protect bystanders but ask yourselves how could you live with yourself if you chose not to respond and allowed inocents to be killed. From reading the report it seemed clear that someone was most likely going to die or at least suffer grave injuries. Thankfully someone acted soon enough to ensure it was the threat and not inocents.

I've been in a potential life threating situation at least three times now. The last occured last winter. My wife and I were being set up for a mugging, probably knife armed mugging from at least four and possiblely five threats. I could have turned around and got back into our truck and left. But I chose not too, I was not going to be chased off by muggers and I was not going to let the women inside the store face these turds on their own.

I want to make two points here;

First, ask youself if you would be capable of taking a life in defense of your own or an inocent's. If not you probably should not obtain a CCW.

Second, let's not armchair QB this situation. Yes, we can dissect these kinds of situations in order to learn from them. But let's not start throwing out the hypothetical "what if's" or "he should have done". I don't think anyone here means to be offensive at all, but these "what if's" and "shoud have's" often turn into a downward sprial.

I am 100% certain he made the right choice. Let's be happy the good guy prevailed and inocents were saved.

[Ark1443]

I sometimes wonder if I will ever be tested in such a way. I can only hope, that I keep my cool and aim well.