An armed citizen in Georgia kept an attack at a liquor store from turning into a bloodier rampage. A man had entered the Magnet Bottle Shop and opened fire, killing a clerk and one customer. Todd Scott, who was in the shop at the time, immediately dropped to the floor and drew his licensed handgun. Thinking that the assailant would continue shooting, Scott stood up and fired six times, chasing the assailant from the store. “I consider [Scott] a hero, Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett told local media, “Because although we did have a fatality at that location, he did save some other lives that were inside that business.” Authorities tracked down the suspect the next day, after the man had also allegedly killed his parents. He refused to surrender and killed himself during a shootout with police. (WSB-TV, Atlanta, GA, 6/2/15)
The Armed Citizen® Extra
A Wilmington, Del., man, 21, got into an altercation that would end with him being treated for a gunshot wound at a nearby hospital. According to the authorities, the suspect pointed a gun at a 33-year-old man, threatened to kill him and then opened fire—but missed. In response, his target drew a licensed handgun and returned fire, striking the aggressor in the upper thigh. The suspect then fled the scene but eventually sought aid for his wound at St. Francis Hospital. The victim notified police of the event and has been cooperating with the investigation. No charges are expected to be filed for the defensive use of his firearm. The assailant, now in stable condition, faces four counts stemming from the incident. (wdel.com, Wilmington, DE, 8/10/15)
The Armed Citizen® Archives
January 1980
F. Russell Sprung was working at his Tucson, Ariz., car wash when he saw a man clutching a paper bag fleeing from a nearby bank. Sprung jumped into his pickup truck and pursued the suspected robber, who ducked into an apartment complex and emerged riding a bicycle. After drawing his revolver and ordering the man to stop, Sprung forced him off the road and, with the help of a bystander, managed to subdue the knife-wielding bandit until police took him into custody. (The Daily Star, Tucson, AZ)
