Questionable: Man Shoots Teens After They Stole From Store

PHOENIX, AZ — A pair of teens were shot by a man the pair assaulted in a shoplifting incident, reports ABC 15.

Now, the question is whether or not the man who shot them was reasonable in his use of force.

According to ABC 15:

According to the Phoenix Police Department, witnesses told officers that the teens had walked into a business in the area and took several items without paying.

Police say the teens were then confronted by a man in the parking lot who asked them to leave the stolen items. The teens then dropped the items and reportedly started to hit the man when they saw he was armed.

Police say during the assault the man fired his weapon, hitting both of the teens. Their injuries were not considered life-threatening.

Of course, the two 15-year-olds feel as though they were gravely abused.

“He was just screaming at us, ‘get down on the ground, get down on the ground!’ and we’re telling him, ‘we’re minors dude, you don’t have to shoot us.’ We even put the stuff on the ground,” said Michael Ward, one of the teens, according to ABC 15.

“That’s when he (Chris) started wrestling with the gun. I started coming in ‘cause I’m not gonna let my brother fight by himself, so I just started trying to get the gun away from him,” said Ward.

On one hand, there are witness claiming that these teens assaulted a man because they saw he was armed.

On the other hand, we have a at-least-somewhat-legitimate concern that the man violently overreacted to a shoplifting incident. God knows every Christmas season we see someone getting way too zealous in the attempt to stop petty crime and producing their firearm against Nancy who stole lip balm from the one remaining Eckerd on earth (sorry, they’re gone).

Was this man in genuine danger before the firearm was produced? Was there something this man could do to avoid the confrontation without sacrificing the safety of others? These questions are vital.

Whether or not the carrier was assaulted or whether the kids were defending themselves is almost immaterial to the point that needs to be made here: you use your defensive tool in the act of preserving life and liberty for you and others.

You don’t use it to perform a citizen’s arrest against Nancy.

Stay safe out there, folks, and be sure to keep your mind as sharp as your EDC knife.

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