Bystander Fires Shots In The Air While Chasing Robber: STOP IT

A bystander to a robbery decided to take action and chase down the suspect, firing two warning shots into the air and also directly at the suspect’s vehicle.

Now he’s likely to face legal trouble.

Around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, police say a masked man entered a Subway in the 15000 block of East Iliff Avenue — near  South Chambers Road — and demanded money from a woman who worked there. Police say the suspect hit the woman and made off with an undisclosed amount of cash. The employee had minor injuries.

As the suspect was making his getaway, police say an armed bystander, identified as Avery Nelson, started to chase the suspect, following him from the Subway and into the street.

Then as stated above, Nelson drew his firearm and shot into the air and vehicle. The bad guy got away, and now Nelson was left to explain why he fired recklessly.

Our jobs, as armed citizens, are to defend ourselves against deadly threats. If you want to chase down the bad guy, be a police officer. It is NOT the job of an armed citizen to actively pursue the bad guy, even if we’re in the immediate area. Not only do you put yourself in danger, but you put everyone else in danger that is in the area. Or in this case, people miles away… depending on where those two bullets landed.

Let’s rephrase: firing in the air = bad. Firing at the suspect’s vehicle = I’m on the fence. I wasn’t there and don’t know the logistics, but it’s generally a bad idea to shoot someone who is fleeing. Explaining a bullet hole in the suspect’s back, when you aren’t in danger, is a tough thing to sell.

Nelson was issued a summons and will have to appear in court for reckless endangerment and the firing of a weapon.

In a situation like this, your job is to be an outstanding witness so that you’re able to give police the best possible description you can of both suspect and vehicle.

Now if the bad guy started charging you with a weapon, we’d be writing a different story.