OREM, Utah (AP) — A shopper with a concealed weapons permit shot and killed a man who was trying to carjack a woman Saturday outside a Utah grocery store, officers said.
The 31-year-old male shooter was in Macey’s parking lot in Orem, 45 miles south of Salt Lake City, when he heard a woman’s screams as she was being pulled from her SUV by the suspect, investigators said.
The man told police he went to assist the woman, and the 27-year-old male suspect lunged at him in an attempt to grab his gun.
The man fired one round at the suspect, hitting him in the chest. The suspect later died at a hospital.
No other injuries were reported.
Hero. If I was mayor of that city, I’d honor him with a big “thank you”, “job well done” billboard!
This is an excellent story.
Not hero…vigilante. It was only property at risk. No mention of a weapon. Call the police. Let insurance cover any damage to property. This isn’t the wild west. Maybe they should display his dead body in the town square as a deterrent or on Kevin’s billboard.
What happened to one being given their day in court? Hard line conservative Conrad Black, while speaking about Americas troubled youth noted…
“Many are victims of legal and social injustice, inadequately provided for by the public assistance system and overly prosecuted and vengefully sentenced… The failures of American education, social services and justice are unaffordable as well as repulsive. In tens of millions of undervalued human lives… the United States pays a heavy price for an ethos afflicted by wantonness, waste and official human indifference.”
Am I to believe the answer is shooting confused, unguided and troubled youth?
If someone grabs a woman and forcibly try to drag her out of her car they deserve to be shot. By the time the cops get there who knows what he could have done to her.
You assume too much, JU. It wasn’t just property at risk. According to the story, the woman was screaming while being violently pulled from her vehicle. The bystander went to her rescue. Presumably, he did not know if he had a weapon or the intent of the attacker. For all he knew, the attacker had a weapon and was beating his girlfriend instead of trying to steal the car.
When the bystander got there, the person who was in the process of committing a violent assault lunged for the bystander’s weapon and the bystander opened fire in defense of his life.
You seem to be advocating that the bystander should have stood by and made a phone call while the attacker assaulted the woman. That’s uncivilized.
Owen,
Assumptions are also being made by you. Without all of the facts who are you to say that there wasn’t an alternative. Reading a news report is hardly a fully detailed accounting of events. The man obviously wanted the vehicle. Protecting your property at the expense of your well being is far to great a price to pay. Glad the individual with the gun could help but did it need to get to that point. I know, I know, if the criminal wouldn’t have done this he would never have been shoot. For years we were taught to walk away. Hand over you keys or wallet. Now we should stand up and fight. In certain situation,this possibly being one of those, I would say fight. However, the more we empower people to take the law into their own hands the more we risk harm to the innocent. We, as a civilized society, can not act as judge, jury and executioner. Handing over the keys without a struggle may have prevented this persons death. I understand that the individual has the right to protect their property but if the armed bystander wasn’t there the struggle could of had dire consequences for the car owner. Nothing I own is worth that risk.
I’m all for citizens defending others from evil acts.
The alternative is for good people to stand by and do nothing and let evil flourish….that is not spiritual.
This was by definition a vigilante act. However, I was to quick to say “not hero”. The shooter did the right thing. There is a pending investigation but from all accounts the shooter was justified. I am just playing devils advocate and raising the question of where do we as a society draw the line. This issue is personal to me. My sixteen year old son was looking for his friends house that he had never been to before. He had two girls in my newer Chevy Suburban. They made two passes down the friends road when a car rapidly approached from behind with lights flashing and horn honking. My son drove approximately four miles to a well lit and well populated business strip. He actually listened. The girls, by this time, we’re crying and scared. The car tailgated my son continuing to honk horn and flash lights the whole way. Upon arriving at the business strip a man aggressively approached the vehicle. My son exited the vehicle trying to draw the man away from the girls. The man, in a very threatening fashion, was yelling and swearing while accusing my son of “casing his neighborhood”. My son explained why he was in the neighborhood and gave the man his friends name. The man continued to rant despite my sons explanation and even took down the license plate and told my son if he ever sees him in the neighborhood again he would call the police. My son figured it would be a good idea to also write down this mans plate number. Upon hearing the story I phoned the police, told the story and gave the officer the plate number. Turns out this guy was an “over zealous neighborhood watch captain” with a long history of similar actions according to the police. On more then one previous occasion the police had warned him about this behavior. He was issued a ticket and he was relieved of his duties with the neighborhood watch. This could have gone terribly wrong. Did I mention that my son was a four sport athlete with a 3.5 gpa, clean cut, driving a newer suburban in excellent condition. Sometimes people’s intentions are pure but the results can be fatal. If my son had panicked,tried to out run the guy or decided to be aggressive maybe I would be telling a different story. Point is we can’t be the judge, jury and executioner. Some people aren’t capable of handling the responsibility. In all cases that end in death the civilized and spiritual thing to ask is… Could it have been avoided?
Avoidance of evil is not always possible as a Christian. Many times you have a duty to openly oppose it and sometimes the courage to do good in action in battle against evil.
This citizen is hero. I only hope I have same courage to save the innocent in such a situation.
I’m not saying avoid evil. I’m saying evil should be confronted but the outcome doesn’t always have to be death. The carjacker was unarmed. Why didn’t someone just beat the crap out of the guy. I know, I know… If your carrying your weapon why not use it. I do appreciate this mans actions and think he deserves recognition for his actions.
Kevin,
God forbid you are ever placed in that situation but if you were… What happens if the criminal gets off the first shot? Is the property worth your life? How will your family get by without you? Could you live with yourself if one of your stray bullets killed an innocent bystander (child)? Not saying don’t stand up to the criminal just food for thought.
Just another example of the immature gun owner’s hero fantasy, wherin your average schlub is converted into super hero by his use of a “hidden weapon” Besides the obvious Freudian penis issues, try to remember that the mere fact that you have a concealed carry permit does not make you a gunfighter or Judge Dredd.
Jadedly Unbiased raises the key point: ie what property is worth killing for. A Mercedes?…A Kia…
Jade,
Did you listen to story at all?
This was not about property. Criminal had previously car jacked a car with others in car. Crashed it and potentially was going to take this woman hostage as we’ll.
This was not about property. It was about evil and protecting the innocent, which we already know you want to shirk from doing to allow evil to run rampant.
If I died trying to do right thing, saving an innocent from evil, that is better than living as a coward letting evil flourish while innocent people get hurt while good people do nothing to help.
That makes the good people in this situation wrong and complicit in the crime!
If I died, my family is comforted that I’m with Jesus. Like most on this earth, I also have life insurance to secure my family and church if Jesus called me home suddenly.
If I met Jesus face to face shedding this life for standing up to evil, protecting the innocent, and to do good through the Holy Spirit. (vs standing around and doing nothing) which one will get a “well done, good and faithful servant!”?
(not implying good works earn salvation, just that good works are strength of your faith in action. Hint: if good works feel like an “obligation” your faith may be weak or non-existent.)
Of course I read every article associated with this incident. YOU CLEARLY DIDN’T. The other occupants in the car were his buddies and they were caught after he stopped the first car (not crashed). It was actually his apprehended buddy that identified the carjacker and caused the police to decide to implement their back off procedure. No hostage situation and even if there was the “hero” had know way of knowing that. So you are wrong again. The man wanted the car. Hence, carjacker.. Which is used by the police in every reference to this incident that I could find.
If you would like to get into a pissing contest about who has stood up to evil in this world more I would gladly take you up on that. I can guarantee you a miserable and embarrassing loss. Be careful of who you accuse of shirking from evil. You clearly know no nothing of my past.
Didn’t say the passengers in first car jacked car were hostages.
Just indicating that others in car (so-called friends) were not willig to do the right thing and embrace the evil. They also sat by and allowed the evil to continue. what happens if both of them stop his buddy…he would be alive today.
Not stopping evil has consequences. Just unfortunate his “friends” didn’t utilize their chance to do good but choose evil themselves or moral cowardice.
I agree. The “friends” will carry (if they have a conscience) this guilt with them for life. They should be charged for there role. You did assume a little about the incident. For arguments sake, I was just saying what if the lady had handed over her keys. No property is worth the risk. What’s done is done and we all agree in the end the lady is safe and the “hero” was justified.