Columbus-area CHL acts in self-defense

Exclusive to Buckeye Firearms Association, reprint only with
attribution

Saturday, August 6, 2005 is a day that will not likely be soon forgotten
by one Columbus area concealed handgun license holder. This person, who
we will refer to as Publius to protect what is left of his privacy, was
placed in a situation that many of us have trained for but dread
encountering - an armed robbery. Publius is in a high-risk job,
night clerk at a budget motel in a bad part of town. A young man who
believes in self-defense, Publius enrolled in a local CHL-qualification
class this past winter. Realizing just how critical these skills are,
he left this class and attended NRA Training Instructor training, and is
now eligible to teach CHL classes in Ohio. Publius' employer
also has no problem with the employees taking appropriate self-defense
precautions, unlike other employers who insist on making their places of
business a "victim mart." All this paid off around 9:30 p.m. on
August 6, 2005. An armed robber, who was about to make the largest
victim-selection error of his life, entered the motel about this time,
brandishing what appeared to be some type of revolver. The bad guy
demanded the money, but not satisfied with how things were happening,
the bad guy came around the counter in a threatening manner. Keep in
mind the average size of a hotel front desk at a budget area
motel....and now it was the bad guy, Publius, his co-worker, and the
poor woman with a young child who was trying to check in.
Publius felt his life, and the lives of those around him, were in
imminent danger of serious physical harm or death, and his training
kicked in. Stepping away from the counter, he was able to take
advantage of the momentary concealment this offered from the bad guy's
field of vision. Drawing his own gun, Publius gave the bad guy a loud,
clear authorative command to drop his gun. When the bad guy began to
move the handgun towards Publius, Publius engaged him with three rounds.
It is believed all three rounds hit the bad guy, who went down
immediately. Keeping his gun on the bad guy, Publius moved the bad
guy's handgun away from his inert form, then had the police
summoned.
Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

The bad guy was taken to the hospital in critical
condition. The police responded, and Publius did what he was
supposed to do by declining to give a statement until he consulted with
an attorney. There were other eye witnesses present, plus a video tape
of the encounter. No reason to risk saying or doing anything at that
point, and the police did not arrest Publius or take him in for
questioning. At last word, the police plan to charge the bad
guy with armed robbery, and Publius will not be charged. Publius is
currently working through the physiological and emotional aftermath of
having been involved in a shooting, and has a support network that will
keep a watch on him to make sure that he appropriately "survives" this
encounter and doesn't become a victim to the aftermath, just as he was
not a victim on the night in question.

Additional coverage of this incident is also available to online subscribers of the Columbus Dispatch.

In the Dispatch's coverage, two shootings of workers are highlighted. In the first case, detailed above, innocent lives are protected and the assailant is the only one injured as a result of his selfishness and violent aggression.

In the second case, an unarmed cab driver tried to disarm his assailant, but was unsuccessful. Several shots were fired during the struggle, the taxi-driver was pistol-whipped and had to be treated for head injuries. The assailant, meanwhile, is still roaming the streets of Columbus.