71 yr old CCWer Shoots and Kills Robbery Suspect at Subway Restaurant (FL)

[Zen21Tao]

http://www.nbc6.net/news/13585506/detail.html?dl=headlineclick

Subway Customer Shoots, Kills Robbery Suspect
Second Suspect In Critical Condition

POSTED: 7:48 am EDT June 28, 2007
UPDATED: 6:52 pm EDT June 28, 2007


PLANTATION, Fla. -- One man is dead and another in critical condition after the duo was shot by a customer while they were attempting to rob a Plantation Subway shop Wednesday night, police said.

Police said 71-year-old John Lovell II used a licensed gun to shoot the alleged robbers at the Subway on North Pine Island Road and Sunrise Boulevard.
Click here to find out more!

One customer, who stopped by the restaurant as the incident was taking place, had this to say to NBC 6's Tisha Lewis:

"If I came by five or 10 minutes earlier, they could have caused a situation where they could have shot me. A lot of things went through my mind," Sebastian Shakespeare said.

According to investigators, two armed men entered the restaurant, pointing guns and demanding money. Lovell turned around and saw a gun pointed at his face. Plantation police said that's when he took the law into his own hands.

"As the customer was being forced into the restroom at gunpoint, the customer, who was in fear for his life and legally armed, shot the robbery suspects," said Plantation Police Department spokesman Robert Rittig.

Police said one of the suspects was fatally shot in the head. He was identified as 22-year-old Donicio Ricardo Arrindell.

The other suspect, 21-year-old Fredrick Gerard Gadson, was shot in the chest and was able to run nearly 300 yards into a nearby Bank Atlantic parking lot while trying to escape, police said.

Gadson was charged with armed robbery and murder. Police said Gadson got charged with murder because, even though he did not shoot Arrindell, someone was killed while Gadson was allegedly committing a felony.

"It's a scary situation," customer Elliott Clement said. "I had a friend who worked here late at night all the time. It's not a good situation. It's very scary, but luckily everything turned out OK."

Lovell's neighbor Wendi Hill said she spoke with Lovell several times Thursday morning.

"He said everything happened in less than four seconds," Hill said.

She said it didn't surprise her at all that Lovell took action against the robbers.

"He's a very smart guy," she said. "I mean, retired pilot, retired ex-Marine."

Police said Lovell will not be charged with a crime. There is surveillance video of the incident, but police had not yet released it as of Thursday evening.

Lovell had not spoken on-camera after the incident.

 

[kjeff50cal]

"He's a very smart guy," she said. "I mean, retired pilot, retired ex-Marine."

As it was said in an earlier thread "there is no Ex-Marines".

 

[jcoiii]

When are people going to figure out that even 70 yr old marines will still kill you? Love it!

 

[win71]

Well, he may be too old to fly commercially but he sure isn't too old to be a gun fighter.

 

[scurtis_34471]

Notice how the paper chose the phrase "took the law in his own hands." You can tell whoever wrote this doesn't think much of self-defense.

 

[Baba Louie]

Plantation police said that's when he took the law into his own hands.

It's a dirty job, but thank goodness someone had the right mindset and tool at hand.

"Retired" Marine. "Oo ah!" Always faithful. Too bad those two young men chose a life of crime. Some days it doesn't pay as well as others.

Love to know what Mr. Lovell was thinking. Was it "protect others"? "Protect Self"? "Why those no good, little blankety blank blank punks" (righteous anger)? Or maybe, "Shoot Straight, Shoot Fast, Shoot First"? We'll never know... and it doesn't matter anyway.

Is it now true that in FLA Mr Lovell II cannot be sued afterward in civil court?

 

[Sistema1927]

According to investigators, two armed men entered the restaurant, pointing guns and demanding money. Lovell turned around and saw a gun pointed at his face. Plantation police said that's when he took the law into his own hands.

"As the customer was being forced into the restroom at gunpoint, the customer, who was in fear for his life and legally armed, shot the robbery suspects," said Plantation Police Department spokesman Robert Rittig.

Sounds to me like a bit of editorial comment on the part of the reporter.

If I was the Plantation police spokesperson I would have a long hard talk with the reporter and ask them not to put words in my mouth.

 

[ZeSpectre]

According to investigators, two armed men entered the restaurant, pointing guns and demanding money. Lovell turned around and saw a gun pointed at his face. Plantation police said that's when he took the law into his own hands.[/QUOTE]

Corrected writing...
According to investigators, two armed men entered the restaurant, pointing guns and demanding money. Lovell turned around and saw a gun pointed at his face. Plantation police said that's when he took charge of the situation.

That's what they intended to write, I'm sure of it

 

[orionengnr]

said it before

...and I'll say it again.

I love a happy ending!

Someone forwarded me a copy of this story from another source this morning. That article did not have "taking the law into his own hands" but it had the predictable statement from the recently deceased little heathen's grandfather:

"He was a good child!"

Yeah, clearly...

 

[SniperStraz]

"retired ex-Marine"? So he's no longer an ex-Marine?

 

[vis-à-vis]

I really hope I never have to do that. Good to read about good shoots though.

 

[romma]

The Marine did what he had to do! Because Marines are not allowed to die, without permission!

 

[Poper]

"there is no Ex-Marines"

Except for John Murtha.

I doubt there are many currently in the Corps, or veterans of the Corps, who are proud of his Marine service about now. As he hasn't been too "faithful" regarding our Boys in Iraq, I think "former" describes him quite well.

Poper

 

[VanEasten]

Such a nice story to start the day.

 

[High Planes Drifter]

Someone needs to teach that reporter that it is not "taking the law into your own hands" when you have a gun pointed at you. Its called self defense.

 

[Rumble]

I would argue that the law is always in our hands. We citizens own the law. It misbehaves a lot, unfortunately, but it's ultimately ours, right?

 

[Creature]

Just out of curiosity, I wonder what the robbers were shot with...one kid was shot in the chest and managed to run 300 yards before being caught by police.

 

[dleong]

Someone needs to teach that reporter that it is not "taking the law into your own hands" when you have a gun pointed at you. Its called self defense.

On the bright side, at least the reporter did not try to portray Mr. Lovell as "a marauding armed vigilante itching to get into a gunfight at the earliest opportunity."

 

[ZeSpectre]

Just out of curiosity, I wonder what the robbers were shot with...one kid was shot in the chest and managed to run 300 yards before being caught by police.

Remember folks, one-shot-stop is a lucky happenstance not a reliable action. It doesn't really matter what you shoot someone/something with, if you miss the vitals it's going to take them a LONG time to go down (even longer with animals who generally don't realize how badly they are injured and keep going).

 

[LaVere]

What newspaper was this from. I would like to email them.

 

[Jim K]

Most papers would have written that "a senile old man armed with a semi-automatic assault handgun killed an innocent, wonderful and adorable young person who was only trying to offer assistance..."

Jim

 

[Omaney]

Dead thugs...bummer...

 

[wQuay]

Notice how the paper chose the phrase "took the law in his own hands." You can tell whoever wrote this doesn't think much of self-defense.

I wish more people in this country would stand up for themselves and take the law into their own hands. This phrase isn't necessarily a negative.

 

[svtruth]

I believe

the state of Florida put the law into his hands with CCW, castle doctrine, and no duty to retreat.

 

[209]

Notice how the paper chose the phrase "took the law in his own hands."

What an incredibly stupid way to state it. But, then again, there is no bias in any media report (except Fox of course). I know that’s true because the media tells me so. I took some journalism classes in college and I was taught to report the news, and not to put my personal viewpoint into the story. Unless of course, I was writing an opinion column. I guess they don't teach that anymore.

Most papers would have written that "a senile old man armed with a semi-automatic assault handgun killed an innocent, wonderful and adorable young person who was only trying to offer assistance..."

Just wait, the family of the poor “victims” haven’t chimed in yet. I’m sure they have all kinds of good things to say.

Like:

• “He was just getting his life together, and he would have never hurt anybody.”
  
• “What are his [insert number here] children going to do without a daddy?”
  
• “Yeah, he had some trouble with the law when he was younger, but he had just really started to be a good boy.”

"retired ex-Marine"? So he's no longer an ex-Marine?

LOL. Good catch on that phrase. I guess the reporter is trying to say he was an ex-Marine, but now he's retired, so that makes him a ..... Gee, I really can't guess what that would make him.