BEDFORD, TEXAS — A concealed carrier’s car door was scratched after another man accidentally opened his own car door too wide. After Sam Smith, 28, accidentally dinged the door of another vehicle in the parking lot of a Kroger’s supermarket, he stuck around to talk to the concealed carrier. While the conversation started off decent enough, at some point it deteriorated and both men told the other they were armed.
Unfortunately for Smith, he made a threatening motion with his hand on his waistline and the concealed carrier interpreted the movement as a threat. He shot Smith five or six times, according to the Star Telegram news.
Once police inspected Smith’s body, they discovered he had no gun. The concealed carrier was not charged with any crime but the case is still under review.
Smith leaves behind a wife, child, and another child yet to come.
On the surface, it appears as if the concealed carrier legally did nothing wrong. If Smith did indeed make a threatening motion to the back of his waistline as if he were drawing an imaginary gun, then the concealed carrier would be correct in interpreting that action as an imminent threat.
What actually happened is something that the investigators will have to determine.
Nobody should have to die over a scratch or minor dent in the side of a vehicle. That, morally and ethically, is on the conscience of that concealed carrier. Only he truly knows if there was a way he could have de-escalated that situation. Smith acted very foolishly when he said he had a gun. More importantly, once the concealed carrier informed Smith he had a gun, Smith should have taken that seriously.
It looks like opportunities to avoid this confrontation were missed by both men. This was a situation that should have been solved with a simple exchange of insurance information and a few pictures from cell phones.
Chances are good that so long as the ultimate conclusion of the investigation is that Smith did indeed make a motion for his waistband before he was shot, this concealed carrier will likely suffer no criminal charges.