DETROIT, MICHIGAN — Complicated. That’s the best way to describe this recent exchange of gunfire that took place outside a gas station in Detroit at 3 a.m. The incident left one young man dead and another in critical but stable condition. In the middle of this is a woman. According to police, she called a man she knew to the gas station at 3 a.m. When he arrived, her boyfriend showed up with a gun. An exchange of gunfire took place and the first man on the scene fatally shot his attacker.
via the Detroit Free Press
“When they met, the female’s boyfriend comes into play and there were some words exchanged and shots are fired,” Donakowski said. “The victim returns fire and he’s a CPL holder and fatally wounds the suspect. The victim was shot in the body and he’s in stable condition.”
So, quite literally, this is a story about a concealed carrier protecting his own life after coming under attack. This is a horrible situation to get stuck in. Who the heck knows what either the woman or her boyfriend were thinking to get this guy caught up in their business.
This is where situational awareness comes in handy. Showing up to a gas station at 3 a.m. to meet up with a woman you obviously don’t know all that well has the potential for hazard. That’s step 1. Step 2, screen your Tinder just a bit better. Step 3, definitely carry concealed. It’s Detroit at 3 a.m., who the heck knows what animals lie in wait?
The concealed carrier was wounded, yes. Was he in the right? According to police, the answer is also yes. He is considered the victim in this circumstance because he was ambushed by a third party. The reasoning for that ambush really doesn’t figure in.
The one piece of the puzzle that should have given this away was the verbal altercation that went down before the rest. As a concealed carrier, we have to take the situation seriously. It’s never a time to let hot tempers prevail if within our power to do otherwise. Again, this is just a horrible tragedy and a testament to the reality concealed carriers face. Choose your next nightly rendezvous wisely.