WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA — A thirty three year old suspect is recovering from gunshot wounds after barging into a 7-Eleven and attempting to abduct the female clerk inside. She managed to retrieve a gun of her own and shot Kahlil Kirton, 33.
According to WHAG News, Kirton went into the 7-Eleven and demanded money. The clerk complied and didn’t fight back. However, Kirton wanted to take it farther than that. He pushed her outside the store at gunpoint.
While outside, she managed to retrieve her gun. She shot him several times. The police arrived and carted him off to the hospital. Obviously probably shaken, that woman did what she had to in order to survive.
We need to dispel a myth about criminal behavior.
There’s this idea floating around that armed criminals are in it just for the few bucks in the cash register and/or your wallet. No need to get hurt or hurt someone else, right?
Wrong.
The biggest mistake anyone can make is to underestimate the intentions or abilities of a man pointing a gun at him. I wouldn’t assume the bad guy doesn’t know where the trigger is located or if he forgot to rack a round into the chamber. I also wouldn’t assume that if I just roll over and do what he says that I’ll still live to see another day.
Now, you, as the gun owner, are the ultimate decider in how that situation will progress. You can decide it’s not worth it and keep your gun holstered (or at home) and just see where it goes. Maybe you come out alright.
And then again, like in this case, maybe you don’t.
See, for a criminal, once he has the gun out, he thinks he’s in charge. Whatever weird, stupid delusional ideas flutter through his thick skull, he feels he’s in control of them. He doesn’t fear you.
This clerk complied with everything asked of her until it started to go somewhere she knew she couldn’t just walk away from.
Abduction, having her car stolen by this bad guy, maybe getting hurt or worse… All of these options were on the table up until she decided that it needed to stop. She made that decision. He wasn’t afraid of her. She had to shoot him to defend her life.
That’s something to consider. It’s a bit heavier than I normally like to get when discussing another crime stopped by a legally armed citizen but it’s something worth considering.
Clear out all presuppositions of what you think a run-of-the-mill bad guy is. Let situational awareness and your own training dictate how you treat a potential threat.
Oh, and carry your gun — every single day, everywhere you go.