Safety Not Guaranteed: Concealed Carrier And Robber Both Die During Gun Battle Following Robbery

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — An armed citizen was robbed at gunpoint by two thugs, and they then made their way into a business to conduct another robbery. The armed citizen made the decision to confront them, and it ended badly for all involved.

Derrick Gholston, 43, was standing about 7:15 p.m. outside of a business in the first block of East 112th Place when he was approached by two men who flashed a handgun and demanded his property, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office.

After Gholston complied, the two suspects entered the business and announced another robbery, police said. Gholston, who was a concealed-carry permit holder, then pulled out his own gun and confronted the robbers, leading to an exchange of gunfire.

He and one of the robbers, 18-year-old Carlos Smith, were each struck and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said. Both were pronounced dead within an hour of the shootout.

via suntimes.com

A 51-year-old man inside the business was also struck, but is expected to survive.

Getting into that fight, a fight that you didn’t want in the first place, is a decision that cannot be taken back. It’s a tough call in many situations, and there are never any guarantees that the good guy is going to prevail.

Sadly, in this case, the good guy went down along with a bad guy. It’s a tough thing to see, and makes us realize even more that some people will have no problem shooting innocent people who are simply trying to go about their day.

Keep that training sharp.