An Imperfect Defense was Good Enough

A clerk worked at a convenience store in Tulsa, Oklahoma. An armed robber entered the store and threatened the clerk. The clerk defended himself. That description is true, but the reality was more complicated. Working at a convenience store is a dangerous job. Police officers and sheriff’s deputies call these stores “stop-and-robs” for a reason. Most of us visit a convenience store for gas or a snack every week. Perhaps we can make the job, and our visit, a little less dangerous after we study the incomplete news reports.

What the defender saw– The store clerk saw a man walk into the store carrying a machete. The intruder waved the machete around and threatened the clerk. The news reports don’t mention if there were other customers or employees in the store. The attacker walked behind the counter. The clerk left the store. The attacker pursued the clerk and followed him outside. The clerk retreated to his car where he grabbed his firearm. The attacker and the clerk re-entered the store. The attacker again threatened the clerk and the clerk shot him.

What the defender did– The clerk recognized the threat. Make no mistake that a machete is a lethal threat. The victim created distance between himself and the attacker. The defender retrieved a firearm as a tool of self-defense. The defender recognized an immediate, lethal, and unavoidable threat. That justified the use of lethal force.

The defender stayed at the scene after the attack. He called 911 and asked for both medical help and help from the police. He also secured the surveillance video and showed it to the police.

What we know now– The 61-year-old attacker was a convicted felon. He had an additional history of drug possession. He stopped attacking the clerk when he received a non-life-threatening gunshot to the hip. Police reports said the attacker would be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon when he was released from the hospital.

What is best practice?

• We want a firearm on our hip. That gives us a useful self-defense tool in seconds rather than minutes.
• A firearm works at a distance and a knife requires proximity. We have an advantage if we stay away from our attacker. In general, we don’t want to enter the same room with an armed attacker. There may be reasons to do so, but we’d like to avoid it if possible.
• Create ear-witness as well as eye-witnesses. Shout “Stop!” and step back if you have time. If you don’t have time, then you should already be shooting.
• It really helps to have a holster on your hip. Not only is the gun within reach, but you also have a secure place to put your firearm after you use it. Be careful where you point your firearm after you’ve defended yourself. Many store clerks shoot the floor when their hands go numb from the surge of adrenaline.
• Have a plan with other employees about what to do during a robbery. It would have helped if the clerk could have locked the door while the attacker was outside the store. In general, we want to lock the doors if the attacker runs away.
• Have a cell phone nearby and ask for help. Ask if anyone in the store requires first aid, and then ask everyone to call 911. It helps to have the store name and address on a printed card at the cash register. The good news is that we can read when we can’t think.
• Know how to give the police copies of your security video. Your lawyer gets the original video.
• Have a lawyer to call. Help the police secure evidence at the scene, but say little. Have your lawyer submit your official statement. That should take days rather than minutes.

About 10-percent of adults are armed in public. More of us are armed at home. We imagine we will think our way through a problem as it happens. We can’t think when we face a man coming at us with a knife. We can recognize a situation we’ve already studied.. and we don’t need to be perfect.