a.bentonab
Expert
Exact accounts differ, but the story is basically as follows
At the Evansville Eastland Mall, a pair of women stole a purse from an elderly woman or women. The women were confronted by several mall goers and when they were outside, an armed civilian bystander fired his handgun. Some reports say he "wanted to alert people to the purse snatching" (14news.com) or that "a bystander who was on the lot fired several rounds from a handgun at the suspects' vehicle. The suspects' vehicle was struck by some of those rounds" (courierpress.com). Social media reports are as always all over the map. Some reports say he shot out the tires. The suspects were caught by police a short time later. No one was injured by gunfire. One bystander was treated for minor injuries after being hit by the suspects car.
The shooter was not arrested and is cooperating with authorities. He was not identified.
Shots fired after attempted purse snatching at Eastland Mall - Tri-State News, Weather & Sports
Shots fired reported at Eastland Mall - Courier Press
I really hope that there is something I am missing to this story and that a properly license, responsible gun owner would know better than to shoot either randomly to alert people or even at a suspects car/tires in a crowded mall parking lot over a purse. Sometimes I do wonder whether it would be such a bad idea to have LTCH owners at least prove they have a cursory knowledge of self defense law and justification of deadly force.
At the Evansville Eastland Mall, a pair of women stole a purse from an elderly woman or women. The women were confronted by several mall goers and when they were outside, an armed civilian bystander fired his handgun. Some reports say he "wanted to alert people to the purse snatching" (14news.com) or that "a bystander who was on the lot fired several rounds from a handgun at the suspects' vehicle. The suspects' vehicle was struck by some of those rounds" (courierpress.com). Social media reports are as always all over the map. Some reports say he shot out the tires. The suspects were caught by police a short time later. No one was injured by gunfire. One bystander was treated for minor injuries after being hit by the suspects car.
The shooter was not arrested and is cooperating with authorities. He was not identified.
Shots fired after attempted purse snatching at Eastland Mall - Tri-State News, Weather & Sports
Shots fired reported at Eastland Mall - Courier Press
I really hope that there is something I am missing to this story and that a properly license, responsible gun owner would know better than to shoot either randomly to alert people or even at a suspects car/tires in a crowded mall parking lot over a purse. Sometimes I do wonder whether it would be such a bad idea to have LTCH owners at least prove they have a cursory knowledge of self defense law and justification of deadly force.
