BIBB COUNTY, AL — A man fired upon a robber while he was fleeing and had already dropped the wallet he had stolen, reports The Telegraph.
Macon resident Martin Tolbert was ambushed by a man who had a cloth covering his face and another covering his hand, saying “You know what this is.”
Tolbert was armed, but instead of drawing the weapon to confront the attacker, he just gave him his wallet.
Then he decided to pull his firearm.
The robber turned and ran, and Tolbert opened fire on him as he was running away.
The robber had thrown the wallet down about 100 feet from where the robbery occurred, and it does not appear that any of the four rounds connected, according to reports.
Folks — you cannot, cannot, cannot do this. Ever. At all.
The robber is no longer a threat once he turns and runs — unless he is threatening to shoot on the fly, which is not unheard of.
If you shoot and take the life of a man running away and no longer presenting a threat, it is very possible that when you get pulled into court — and you will very likely get pulled into court — when you get asked “why did you shoot that man?” you can’t respond with “I was fearing for my life” when the other guy was running and, for all we know in this particular case, unarmed.
If he hasn’t hurt you after he got your wallet, just let it go. It’s not worth your life, and it’s not worth all the risk to your well-being in court.
Either employ the weapon in self-defense, or don’t. Don’t go halfway, which is what happened here.
Stay safe out there, people.
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