BAD FORM: Business Owner Opens Fire On Thug On Ground Multiple Times

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — A man is lucky to be alive after breaking into an electronics store, inside of which was the store’s owner, sleeping and armed.

The thug and his friends were looking to make a quick buck, instead they found a store owner who is more than a little trigger happy.

As WSB-TV reports:

Police say a business owner opened fire on four attempted burglars who tried to smash their way into his store. One ended up with four bullet wounds. Channel 2’s Tony Thomas talked to the owner of a Norcross cellphone and electronics store, CMD Services, who said four men broke in to his business Wednesday night.

They didn’t realize the owner was asleep inside — with a gun. The store owner, who didn’t want to be identified, told Thomas he woke up to find people walking around his store, grabbing phones and computers. He grabbed his gun, afraid they might shoot at him.

“I woke up, I grabbed my pistol and I see people moving around,” he told Thomas. “I put a bullet in the chamber of my pistol and I screamed, ‘Nobody move!’”

The owner says everyone ran. Police arrived in minutes and found Jaquese Mattox, 20, lying on the ground with four bullet wounds.

“I’m not exactly sure how many times I shot him, but he kept on trying to get up,” the store owner said.

The store owner says he only shot at the suspects because he was defending himself.

“They could have killed me while I was sleeping. I was pushed into a corner,” he said. “It’s not something I wanted to do, but I did it instinctively because I have a family.”

Mattox, who is a college student, appeared in a Gwinnett County courtroom in a wheelchair Thursday… The prosecutor told the judge that Mattox may have been involved in at least 20 more burglaries. Police wouldn’t comment on those other cases or how widespread they are. The store owner said he hated to have to pull a gun but he’s just glad to be alive.

“I regret having to use the weapon,” he said. “Ether instincts kick in or you become a victim. I refuse to become a victim.”

Video coverage of the incident showed where the man was shot and went down — it was the front door.

In fact, the man went down with one leg stuck inside the front door, the rest of him outside — he was trying to run away.

You can’t just open fire on a bunch of guys trying to make themselves not a threat — gunshot wounds to the back are a quick way to a nightmare in court. It’s also worth noting that when the store owner claims he was pushed into a corner, it doesn’t appear to be literal. Literally just opened fire on a guy until he stopped moving.

In fact, according to the video coverage, shots were still ringing when police arrived.

This is not how we carry.

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