Open carrier saved lives in Richmond shooting on Saturday

[allingeneral]

Guns Save Lives
Report by VCDL Newsletter

On Saturday, a violent criminal shot a store clerk, had the customers
in the store lined up, and while reloading his revolver told the
customers that he was going to kill them all.

Then a person open carrying a single-action Colt .45 came in and shot
the criminal in the stomach, saving at least six or seven lives.

I received a detailed account from a VCDL member who was at the scene
(but not the person with the .45). One of the things I was told is
how some of the customers were telling the police that the open-
carrier was a hero and how he saved their lives.

If that's not being a first-responder when no one else was there to
help, I don't know what is.

Here is the press coverage (and there won't be a word of any of this
on any of the national news broadcasts):

http://tinyurl.com/n2m9vq

Richmond Times-Dispatch
Two shot in South Richmond store
By Reed Williams

Published: July 12, 2009

A gunman who had wounded a shopkeeper and opened fire on several
customers was stopped yesterday when another man shot him at the store
in South Richmond, authorities said.

The violent attempted robbery took place shortly after 1 p.m. at the
Golden Food Market at 2701 Jefferson Davis Highway, the same store
where another man was shot last month -- and only three blocks from
the scene of another robbery in June that left a shopkeeper dead.

Owners of as many as a dozen Jefferson Davis-area businesses flocked
to the scene of the shooting, and many were rattled by such a brazen
daylight attack, said Councilwoman Reva Trammell, whose 8th District
includes the Jefferson Davis corridor.

Trammell, who arrived outside the store shortly after yesterday's
shootings, described a frenzied scene. One man told Trammell that the
man who had shot the robber was a guardian angel.

"Whoever did it probably saved their lives in there," Trammell said of
the shooter.

Police did not identify anyone involved in yesterday's shootings.

The man who shot the robber is a friend of the store owner, and he was
wearing a holster with a Western-style revolver, said Managing Deputy
Commonwealth's Attorney Tracy Thorne-Begland.

After the suspect shot the store owner and opened fire on patrons, the
owner's friend shot the suspect once in the torso, took his gun and
called police, Thorne-Begland said.

Thorne-Begland said it appeared that the shooting of the suspect was
justified, although he emphasized that the investigation was in the
early stages.

Police said they expect to file charges against the suspect.

The store owner's injuries did not appear life-threatening,
authorities said, but the gunman's injuries were said to be life-
threatening. No one else was hurt.

Anthony Gregory, who lives near Golden Food, said he was in the store
about 15 minutes before the shootings, and that while he was there, he
saw a man with a baby making a purchase.

Gregory said the owner told the baby, "Welcome to the world. This is a
dangerous world, so be careful. But don't worry, God will protect you."

Police Cmdr. Steve Drew said officers had been patrolling up and down
Jefferson Davis yesterday and recently have bolstered their presence
in the area. He said it was unusual for a commercial robbery to happen
so early in the day.

The previous shooting at Golden Food took place late the night of June
12. And three nights earlier, a co-owner of the Come and Go Food
Market, which is about three blocks north of Golden Food on Jefferson
Davis, was shot and killed in a robbery.

Authorities said it was too early to know whether any of the three
shootings on Jefferson Davis are connected.

A few hours after yesterday's shootings, Said "Sam" Messaf, the man
who was shot June 12 at Golden Food, was at the store to help another
man shut down the market.

Messaf described how he had been helping out at the store June 12 when
two robbers came inside. One man opened fire, reaching over the
counter and shooting as Messaf cowered behind it, he said. Messaf was
shot six times in his legs.

He said he suffered nerve damage in his left leg and has trouble
sleeping.

Trammell said residents and business owners were scared by the recent
violence but have faith that police are doing their best to stop it.

"I'm still shook up," Trammell said. "I'm not afraid, but we've worked
so hard on Jefferson Davis -- so hard in that area to bring crime down."

--

http://tinyurl.com/nvo7rp

Police charge South Richmond man in convenience store shooting

By Staff Reports

Published: July 13, 2009

Richmond police have charged a 30-year-old South Richmond man in the
aborted robbery of a convenience store that left him and the store
owner wounded.

James Grooms of the 2200 block of Chalfont Drive remains hospitalized
after being shot by a friend of the owner of Golden Food Market at
2701 Jefferson Davis Highway in South Richmond. Grooms shot the store
owner and fired at several customers, missing them, in the attempted
robbery on Saturday just after 1 p.m.

Police charged Grooms with attempted robbery, use of a firearm, and
possession of a firearm by a felon. He remains in the custody of the
Richmond Sheriff's Office while being treated for a gunshot wound to
the torso at VCU Medical Center. No information was available on his
condition.

The attempted robbery was the second time in a month that a shopkeeper
at Golden Market was shot. Said "Saim" Messaf was shot on June 12. The
store's owner, who police did not identify, suffered non-life
threatening wounds in Saturday's shooting. No information was
available today on his condition.

[zephyp]

Criminal that we don't see heroes like this in the news. I wish we could also hold elections for who controls the media

[BluemontGlock]

Nice WORK!!! & thanks for the OP!!

"but the gunman's injuries were said to be life-threatening."

one shot from the long COLT .45 to the torso will usually do the trick...as far as i am concerned, that man gets to add the gold cluster to his marksmarkship award.

and another example of "if your going to carry, carry all the time..."

[VBshooter]

A salute to a hero with the balls to make the commitment and carry it through,Those long Colts are nasty!Lets keep our eyes open for any attempt by this guys relatives trying to sue in civil court,,This is the year we need to push hard for the Castle Doctrine on the legislators, And not settle for any watered down version of it, The full Stand your Ground is the only thing to accept.

[baz]

I agree to

A salute to a hero

Give the BG's something to think about.

Thanks for standing up for justice and having courage to follow through with it. God bless!

[zephyp]

i agree. Just wish we could see these things publicized in the main stream media. I dont think Fox even touches them.

[allingeneral]

Here's an update from Philip Van Cleave of VCDL who interviewed the man who stopped the BG in this store shooting.

From VCDL Newsletter - The Real Story (Not as reported by the media):

1. Exclusive: I met with the gun owner who saved lives in the Richmond Golden Market shooting last week
****************************************************************************

On Friday I received a surprise call from the gun owner who has been in the press this week for saving lives at a Richmond store. The gun owner used a replica 1875 Remington Army .45 Long Colt with a 7 1/2 inch barrel to stop a criminal who had shot the store's owner.

He wanted to remain anonymous, but called so that the story could be set straight, as much of what was in the press wasn't accurate.

Board member Dennis O'Connor and I ended up meeting with him today (Saturday) at the Golden Market store, where the shooting had taken place one week earlier.

Besides being able to actually see the layout of the store, Dennis and I got to see the security videos of the shooting!

We also got to meet the store owner who had been shot twice during the hold up, but is now back at his store. More on this great man later.

Here is what we know from talking to the gun owner and watching the videos:

The gun owner (GO) was in the store waiting in line to pay for an item when the bad guy (BG) came in wearing dark sunglasses and trying to coverup his face while brandishing a revolver. The BG yelled for everyone to get down and before anybody could react, immediately walked over to the store owner and in a cold-blooded fashion shot him twice. The owner then dropped down behind the counter. It wasn't more than 2 seconds after the BG first walked in the doors that he shot the store owner.

Those shots at the store owner missed a teenage boy's head by inches.

The GO yelled for the BG to drop his gun as the GO drew his gun. The BG opened fire on the GO. The GO returned fire, hitting the BG as the GO dove hard for the floor behind some barrels full of ice and drinks.

The BG ran towards the back of the store, aiming his gun at an innocent man laying prone on the floor. Luckily the BG was too distracted by the GO to shoot the man. There is no doubt in my mind that the man would have been shot in cold blood that day if it weren't for that GO returning fire.

The BG kept trying to get to the front of the store by walking up various aisles and firing shots at the GO as he did so. At one point cans of tinned meat exploded on a shelf as the BG took a shot at the GO.

What was bizarre was that the BG actually was strutting around like he owned the place while under fire! As he approached the front of one aisle, he again pointed a gun at a person on the ground and was about to execute him, when he was again distracted by the GO.

Finally the GO spotted the BG at the front of an aisle standing in the open.

Much to his surprise, the GO discovered that when he dove hard for the floor he had somehow broken the trigger on his gun!

But the gun was a single action, so the GO pushing himself up with one arm, aimed the gun, pulled the hammer back and let it fly forward - twice.

Although seriously wounded three times, the BG came at the GO. The BG tried to grab the GO's gun since the BG's gun was out of ammunition. A life-and-death struggle began. The GO got a grip on the BG's gun and the GO hit the BG twice hard on the temple with the 7 1/2" barrel on his rather heavy gun.

The BG finally broke off the engagement, tried to run out the front door, but collapsed at the door.

The GO secured the BG's gun and keeping an eye on the now unconscious bad guy, called 9-1-1.

The BG has now died (he was in critical condition since the shooting).

The police showed up a minute or so after the 9-1-1 call and initially had everyone in the store at gun point and handcuffed some until they could figure out who was who.

What really impressed me was that on the surveillance video, the owner, while shot twice by the BG, was walking around making sure that all of his customers were OK after the shooting had ended. He only let himself collapse after he was sure they were OK! Words fail me on this. I am so glad that he made it. What a dichotomy - a BG who shoots an innocent person without provocation, almost killing a teenager while doing so - caring for no one but himself. And then the store owner who, while seriously wounded, making sure his customers were OK. Evil exists and so does Good. Both were on display in those two minutes of terror. Luckily only the bad guy was killed. The owner was walking with a limp, clearly in some pain.

A lot of people owe their lives to that GO. However, he is having none of it, saying that he simply did what he had to do.

[06bolton5pt3]

guns save lives!

[zephyp]

guns save lives!

We need to change this slogan a little -> Law abiding citizens with guns save lives.

[BluemontGlock]

wow...thanks for the truth...

the write up i saw earlier had none of these details...
and had the story wrong...

so hard to believe anything that the media feeds us...
and with just cause, evidentally...
Thanks Rick for the follow up post.

i hope to be as steely eyed and inginuitive if the time arises...broke the trigger off his gun, and kept bringing the fight...

I wish the gentleman lived closer to me...