South Side Chicago: Concealed Carrier Shoots Attacker While Shopping Inside Store

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS — Most of the self-defense stories that we cover happen at someone’s home, while they’re outside moving about, and similar. This one is a little different, as it happened inside a store while a man was shopping. It wasn’t an armed robbery, rather an attack with an unknown object.

About 5:30 p.m., a 40-year-old man was shopping in a store in the 13000 block of  South Brainard Avenue when a man approached him from behind and struck him in the back with an unknown object, Chicago police said.

via fox32chicago.com

After he was hit, the concealed carrier drew his gun and fired on the suspect, striking him at least once. The man shot is said to be 52 years old.

The suspect was taken into custody, and charges are pending. Police say the armed citizen has a valid concealed carry permit.

What constitutes a threat that’s worthy of the use of lethal force? It’s typically the fear of severe bodily injury or death. The details of this incident are extremely scarce, and we don’t know the following:

• What was the item that was used to strike the man in the back?
• How much force was put into the attack?
• Was there any type of interaction between both parties prior to the incident?
• Was there a size discrepancy between the two?

The list goes on and on. Some states would call this a case of self-defense, while others may dig deeper to see if the armed citizen needed to resort to the immediate use of lethal force.

In any event, it’s a solid reminder that life can change quickly, and that we should always be prepared for the worst. Even while shopping.