ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI — A man was legally carrying his AR-15 at a grocery store in a non-threatening manner, when a 31-year-old man came up to him and put a gun to the back of his head. That man stole the AR-15 and a jacket. The man who had just been robbed then went to his vehicle where he had another gun, and began firing at the suspect.
A shootout occurred, in which the suspect was struck multiple times, as well as two female bystanders. Their injuries were non-life threatening.
The man retrieved his AR-15 from the suspect and fled the scene.
The suspect was also shot by a third man who witnessed the incident.
It is not clear if police have been in contact with the man who was carrying the AR-15.
The suspect was taken to the hospital and is in critical condition.
Open carry isn’t something that I’m a fan of for this exact reason. You can easily become a target for the bad guys because they want your gun and in this case, that’s exactly what occurred. Luckily the suspect didn’t get away with it, but the entire incident did result in a shootout and injuries to bystanders.
I’m not placing blame on the armed citizen, but if you’re going to be openly carrying a firearm, you’d better be as fully aware of your surroundings as you possibly can be. None of us have 360 degrees of vision, so we can’t see everything that’s coming our way, but keep in mind that open carry can and does invite unwelcomed attention.
