Philadelphia, PA – On August 9, 2015, at 12:10 am, the 16th District received a report of a
person with a gun at the Lancaster Hoagie City deli located at 600 North 40th Street. Upon arrival police were met by the complainant, a 22 year-old male, that while inside the deli an unknown male grabbed him from behind attempting to rob him.
The complainant, who was armed and is licensed to carry, fought off the offender, however, while doing so, his firearm fell from his hip allowing the suspect to gain control of it. As the two struggled over the firearm, the suspect fired one shot towards the complainant missing him before fleeing the store with the complainant chasing the suspect losing sight of him.
Suspect Description: Black male, dark complected, early 20 years-of-age, 5’9-5’10”, wearing a plaid checkered shirt with a red or orange colored shirt underneath, and a red base ball cap.
To submit a tip via telephone, dial 215.686.TIPS (8477) or text a tip to PPD TIP or 773847.
The video above shows us two very important things:
1) Why it’s important to maintain situational awareness at all times
2) Why it’s important that your firearm doesn’t print
In this particular case, it doesn’t seem like the firearm was printing. In other words, it looks like the suspect was looking for a wallet and not a gun because he saw it printing. But, when that baby fell to the floor, the suspect seized the opportunity to snatch it up and fire at the victim.
Talk about a worst case scenario.
I could be wrong, though. Maybe the bad guy did indeed see the firearm printing… and he wanted it. It’s tough to tell, as it’s in the same location as the victim’s wallet.
Luckily for the victim, the bad guy didn’t seem to know how to work the firearm after firing the first shot. At the 1:00 mark of the video, it looks like he tries to rack the slide, possibly due to him limp-wristing the first shot.
In any event, staring down the barrel of your own gun is a worst nightmare for a concealed carrier. What do you actually do if that happens?
In this case, while on the ground fighting for control over the firearm, the only viable option is to fight like hell. You know, fight as if your life depended on it. Because it does.
I personally get annoyed when people stand close to me in line and when they do, I stand sideways so that they’re in my view at all times. Turning your back to anyone –especially when carrying your firearm– opens you up to vulnerabilities… as seen perfectly clear in this video.
Anyway, after the bad guy seems to have problems with the firearm, our victim goes after him in force. But it’s too late. BG gets away and he now has a gun.
Would Open Carry Have Stopped This?
Well, not if the bad guy saw the firearm printing and wanted it.
Just the other day, I published an article with the reasons that I don’t open carry. What if the victim had been open carrying? I know it’s pure speculation, but do you think it would have deterred the bad guy? Serious question. I don’t have the answer.
