coloradokevin
Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2008
- Messages
- 3,285
I just thought I'd post a story from the other night at work, just to remind folks to be prepared for the unexpected when carrying concealed.
I investigated an armed robbery just a couple of nights ago, where a business was robbed at gun-point as the two owners worked inside. One of the owners has a CCW permit, and was armed with a revolver at the time of the incident. That fact alone makes this incident very unique in my mind, as it is the ONLY case of violent crime I have EVER investigated where the victim was armed with a gun at the time of the offense. This victim also told me that he has been shooting his whole life, and was well versed in the use of his firearm.
Anyway, in this particular instance the armed victim was working on the installation of a security camera at the time of the incident (irony, I know). As the owner stood on a stool to adjust his new camera, two armed men blitzed the door of his store, immediately jumping the counter and placing him at gun-point. The victim later told me that he thought it took less than a second from the time the door opened until he had a gun to his head.
The suspects were both armed with handguns, and immediately ordered both victims to lay face down on the floor. The armed victim was carrying his firearm in an ankle holster, and told me that the location of the weapon on his body was problematic, as he couldn't easily go for the gun without being noticed. The suspects then ordered the victims to crawl to a back room in the business, at which point they frisked both parties, and discovered the victim's revolver. The victim was disarmed by the suspect at this point, and the suspects also stripped the victims of their cellphones at this time. The suspects then proceeded to lock the victims in the back room of the store while they cleaned the place out.
Without going into any of the critical details of a current investigation, it is safe to say that both owners of this business recognized that their establishment was a prime target for robbery, based both on the type of business they were running, and the location where they were conducting their business. Their store was fairly new to this location, and therefore wasn't yet fully equiped with the security measures that they were planning to install.
In this case the business took a substantial financial loss, but no persons were harmed in the course of the robbery. Nevertheless, this incident clearly highlights how quickly a bad situation can evolve, and should get us all thinking about having a "Plan B".
I can't claim to have all of the answers, but at least thought I'd open this subject for discussion!
A few noteworthy points:
1) Having a gun does not make you safe in and of itself, even with training. Our guns are merely tools.
2) How you carry your gun could be a factor in determining whether or not you are able to deploy the weapon in a time of need.
3) Sometimes you are forced into a situation where taking immediate action against a criminal is not preferable. I fully agree with the store's owner in believing that he would have been killed if he had tried to move for his firearm.
4) Bad things often happen when you are least expecting it. The fight chooses you, you don't choose the fight.
I investigated an armed robbery just a couple of nights ago, where a business was robbed at gun-point as the two owners worked inside. One of the owners has a CCW permit, and was armed with a revolver at the time of the incident. That fact alone makes this incident very unique in my mind, as it is the ONLY case of violent crime I have EVER investigated where the victim was armed with a gun at the time of the offense. This victim also told me that he has been shooting his whole life, and was well versed in the use of his firearm.
Anyway, in this particular instance the armed victim was working on the installation of a security camera at the time of the incident (irony, I know). As the owner stood on a stool to adjust his new camera, two armed men blitzed the door of his store, immediately jumping the counter and placing him at gun-point. The victim later told me that he thought it took less than a second from the time the door opened until he had a gun to his head.
The suspects were both armed with handguns, and immediately ordered both victims to lay face down on the floor. The armed victim was carrying his firearm in an ankle holster, and told me that the location of the weapon on his body was problematic, as he couldn't easily go for the gun without being noticed. The suspects then ordered the victims to crawl to a back room in the business, at which point they frisked both parties, and discovered the victim's revolver. The victim was disarmed by the suspect at this point, and the suspects also stripped the victims of their cellphones at this time. The suspects then proceeded to lock the victims in the back room of the store while they cleaned the place out.
Without going into any of the critical details of a current investigation, it is safe to say that both owners of this business recognized that their establishment was a prime target for robbery, based both on the type of business they were running, and the location where they were conducting their business. Their store was fairly new to this location, and therefore wasn't yet fully equiped with the security measures that they were planning to install.
In this case the business took a substantial financial loss, but no persons were harmed in the course of the robbery. Nevertheless, this incident clearly highlights how quickly a bad situation can evolve, and should get us all thinking about having a "Plan B".
I can't claim to have all of the answers, but at least thought I'd open this subject for discussion!
A few noteworthy points:
1) Having a gun does not make you safe in and of itself, even with training. Our guns are merely tools.
2) How you carry your gun could be a factor in determining whether or not you are able to deploy the weapon in a time of need.
3) Sometimes you are forced into a situation where taking immediate action against a criminal is not preferable. I fully agree with the store's owner in believing that he would have been killed if he had tried to move for his firearm.
4) Bad things often happen when you are least expecting it. The fight chooses you, you don't choose the fight.