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I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. I am willing to bet that it has happened before but just has not made the news where most could see it. And now that it has, it is bound to make the rounds of the pro and anti-gun crowds and adds more fuel to the discussion of “Do good guys with guns ever stop bad guys?”
On November 14th, in the morning a Deputy in Lee County got involved in a high speed chase and when it ended, the suspect exited his car and ran at and tackled the Deputy to the ground according to one witness who posted on the Internet.
The suspect attacked the officer and a fight for the officer’s life ensued. But what happened next was not expected, and thank goodness it did, a lawfully armed concealed firearms license holder who happened to be driving by, stopped and confronted the suspect while he was fighting the Deputy.
According to news reports, “The passerby, who had a Concealed Weapons License, exited his vehicle and instructed the suspect to stop beating the deputy…after noncompliance from the suspect, the passerby shot the suspect three times,” sources said.
That’s right, the lawfully armed civilian stopped to help the officer, and when the suspect failed to stop beating the officer, and failed to listen to the commands of the Good Samaritan, he was left with no choice but to shoot the suspect to save the Deputies life. According to the witnesses at the scene after the suspect was shot, he fell off the Deputy, the Deputy got up for a few seconds and then laid back down until help arrived.
What I would like to note for some for those who are against civilians carrying firearms, like Sheriff Bob Gualtieri of Pinellas County Florida, not far from the location of the shooting, the arriving Deputies and Officers evidently did not have a hard time telling the good guy from the bad guy. No one else got shot, or even threatened as far as we know. Sheriff Gualtieri said last year in an interview that his Deputies would draw down on any civilian they found carrying a firearm, especially at the scene of a shooting. I beg to educate the good Sheriff but the good guy is the one that shoot the bad guy and saved the deputies life! Not hard to figure out.
The Florida Sheriff’s Association lobbied against several pro-gun bills last year in Tallahassee. I would love to see them do that this year and be able to stand up there in Tallahassee like I did last year and ask them what would have happened if that lawfully carrying citizen had not been allowed to carry. That deputy may have been killed and the suspect gotten away.
The name of the CCW holder has not been released yet, but I am sure he will get a call or two from the Deputy he saved as well as the Sheriff of that county. This is what we need in this country! People who are willing to step up and help others out in need. Doesn’t matter if it is a cop or not, the time of walking by and watching someone get beat up has to stop! We have to be our brother’s keeper and protector. Especially our officers and deputies.
I have had citizens stop more than a couple of times while I was a deputy and help me out in a fight. I was glad for the help! So next time you see someone being attacked and have the ability and knowledge/ skill to help, do so! Maybe then the thugs and scum will think twice about attacking people when maybe that person driving by, or walking by may step in on the side of the victim and the suspect becomes the loser. We can only help.
News Report can be found here.
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Chris is a U.S. Army Veteran and has been in law enforcement the last 35+ years. He specializes in LE Firearms Instruction, and is in charge of a large Police Academy in North Florida. In his spare time Chris is a free-lance Military Reporter and owner/founder of the Largest Military Videos Channel on YouTube “3rdID8487”.
