The day I had to use my gun in self-defense

It was a regular day, just like any other. I was going into the city to visit a friend that I had not seen in a while. This particular part of the city was just beyond the ‘bad’ area, however I always carry without exception.

I was inside her apartment for a few hours, and then returned to my vehicle to find the entire rear lifted off the ground via jack stands. I had one tire missing, rear passenger. Cautiously moving to the rear of my vehicle to assess the situation, I realized that I had probably walked up while the crime was still taking place. I scanned the area while simultaneously calling the police on my cell phone. While doing so, a group of 4 young men walked around the corner at the intersection and spotted me next to my vehicle. They were about 40 feet away. One of them quickly reached for something in his waistband and before I knew it, he had a pistol pointed in my direction.

I quickly got behind my vehicle and drew my firearm. One shot from the young man rang out, then another. Instead of waiting to see if they were planning to come this way, I fired one shot at him. Then my pistol jammed.

I racked the slide to clear the malfunction just in time to get off another shot. This shot was point-blank to his chest, as he was upon me in seconds. The jamming of my firearm caught me off guard. This particular firearm has seen thousands of rounds through it and has never had a single malfunction until this very moment. I never imagined that it would jam when I needed it most.

After I got off my shot, the others in his party ran as fast as they could. The young man fell to the ground in pain and at that time, I kicked his firearm 30 feet away from him. He wasn’t going anywhere.

My friend whom I was visiting had come outside at this point after hearing gunfire. She quickly realized what had happened and came over to see if I was alright. I was dazed, but alive. She called the police for me as I sat down on the curb trying to process what had just happened, while keeping an eye on the young man who was barely moving while lying in the street. I look up to see the young man losing his life, and no one helping and only watching. It was a moment that I’ll never forget.

The police arrive a few minutes later. At this point, I am still on the curb with my firearm holstered. A Police Officer came over to speak with me and at that moment I broke down. I told him the scenario that played out just moments before, and he said that I was lucky to be alive. The young man that I had shot, now deceased, had a long history with the law. “It was only a matter of time until he ran into an armed citizen”, said the Officer. “You did the right thing, you defended your life and because of that, you’re here talking to me right now.”