A reporter covered the defensive shooting in Houston, where marksman, clerk, and brother of the owner, Dien Tu, shot and killed two of three armed robbers. The robbers were attempting to rob the store and had pistol whipped his brother in law, Brian. The reporter at khou.com gives this advice:
Police advise clerks in this situation to give in to the demands of robber.It is not clear if this is actual advice from police in the area, or vaguely remembered propaganda by the reporter. The store owner sees things a little differently, as reported in the next sentence:
The owner here said everyone is armed because of how dangerous the area is.
In the picture above, Dien Tu is seen aiming at the fleeing robbers. Note the reinforced posts to prevent smash and grab burglaries and robberies. They also provide some protection from car bombs.
The comments on the story at khou.com show that people think the reporter's advice is foolish. From Kurt Kirkpatrick:
Do cops give in to criminals who flash a gun? Why not, if that's their advice to others? I'm thinking the reporter is shooting from the hip.From Sandy Wheeler Coryell
One, or, two for the good guys! I think every employee should be armed and taught how to use a gun, and when.From Homstad House:
This was the right time. If everyone just gives over the money, there is no reason for the robbers to stop. If every employee is armed, they might think twice about robbing the place. And there should NEVER be just one employee in a store.
KUDOS to this guy. Two more pieces of scum off the streets
If you just give them money, they know where to come next time.in
The store had been robbed on July 1, just 10 days before. From abc13.com:
The owner says his store was robbed July 1 so he and his brother were prepared with guns to fight back. The clerk in that robbery was beaten so badly, he hasn't been able to return to work.I cannot help but wonder if Dien has been in some tight spots before. He acted quickly and decisively in a difficult situation. A previous story refers to Dien as "wearing a gun". Might it be that he was openly carrying in the store? No holster is evident on this image, taken four hours later. Open carry on one's property has always been legal in Texas.
The robbers have yet to be identified, but it is likely that cutting their criminal careers short has prevented hundreds, if not thousands of future crimes.
Perhaps their deaths will serve as a lesson to others. If the crime rate in dangerous urban areas is to be brought down, the rule of law needs to be reinforced and internalized by the culture in the area. Young men need to be taught that crime is not a respectable or worthwhile career option. Responsible actions by armed citizens are part of that process.
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I was working in a strip mall clinic in east Baltimore around 1998 when a liquor store clerk a few stores down from us shot and killed a "youth" who was robbing his store. I don't recall if the perp dragged himself outside or the clerk did, but the body lay out on the sidewalk for hours until police were called in by a concerned citizen.
ReplyDeleteThe clerk/store owner said this was the right thing to do, so others would see what happens when you try to rob a store at gunpoint.
There were shouts of racism, local protests (I don't know if Al Sharpton's people were called in) but the Baltimore prosecutor finally determined the shooting was fully justified, no charges were pressed, business went on as usual.
"Heads on pikes" seem to be a reasonable next step to prevent robberies.
In all seriousness, what I'd really like to see is a "Citizens Response Award," where people who stand up the terror (robbery, rape, carjacking included) are recognized publicly at an awards ceremony, given a box of self-defense ammunition (the manufacturers could get in on this to their benefit), given a gold-embossed certificate suitable for framing (or framed), and a gift coupon good for a couple of hours of range time at a local indoor or outdoor range/gun club with instruction appropriate to their current level of marksmanship.
"Give them what they want" ? Mozambique. Two to the chest, one to the head. Then move on as if nothing has happened, secure in the knowledge you've rid society of the kind of sociopathic scum that would threaten harm to useful people.