[sm]

...nor did I shoot.

I did get myself distanced, observed and reported.

Just last night I went out to train my brain, and do some night shooting with all the meaness and car-jackings going on around here. I kept saying over and over to some folks Don't be where trouble is - leave if trouble comes.

One never knows the where or when of next encounter-CRSam.

Location:
Strip center just off a busy city 4 lane. Front door parking, and approximatly Four rows X Fifteen vehicles parking area between strip center and busy thoroughfare.

I pulled into lot, proceeded to park in front of tobacco store for smokes. I had not pulled all the way forward when I notice the two early twenties youths 'arguing' and one female being "pointed" at.

I immediatly went from yellow-orange to red. I put my truck in reverse and had to wait for a vehicle to pass. I kept watching rear-view and the "situation". I can leave and get smokes elsewhere...

Punches thrown, then fight goes to hood of maroon car next to me, cell phone used to hit the one on top in the head.

People inside store are at the big glass window, and door - just watching. Standing up and watching ... less than 4 feet of distance.

I can back up - finally.

Chrome gun is pointed at me, from a distance of him standing on parking lot just off the business sidewalk and the length of my hood. I get below dash, I can see from passenger side mirror a wee bit, I gotta get distance, distance...distance...

I get parallel to strip center, I raise up to get my head over to my driver's door I have cracked, I can drive with head down and door cracked.

The one youth tries to fire at the other youth, racks slide, points at me again. I sped down to some empty spaces in parking area in the midst of lot, a big SUV for cover, and I can observe, since I parked so poorly taking up more than one space.

People are standing on the sidewalk. NOT behind the approx 4 foot square columns, right there in the open as close as 6 feet behind the youth with the gun.

I get both vehicles descriptions,, who is driving what, as they leave in a big hurry- license plates are inked onto my palm, along with an arrow as to which direction they pulled out of lot onto thoroughfare.

I ease into Smoke shop "Everyone okay?"

Bad language, folks shaking, and one girl on the phone, with 911. She was having a real hard time trying to hold phone, and talk. "Here - you do it"...she lost it. I just let her read off my palm the #'s, and then repeated them loud enough to be heard by 911.

I gave vehicle descriptions, plates, directions.

I helped myself to styrofoam cups and went outide to cover the unfired ctgs. Finally one male from inside store came out, I informed him do NOT touch those, and keep folks and traffic from parking onto them.

I eased up and down finding and marking a few more. Along with looking for anything else of use

Officer shows up. The girl that had handed me the phone came out to door to holler at the male employee. Tells officer " he kept pointing the gun at this guy [me] and trying to shoot...".

Officer ask to see my ID, he also sees CCW permit. I nodded affirmative before he asked me if I was CCW-ing at the moment, or during situation.

He asked what was the deal was with the cups inverted on the lot, and sidewalk ... I told him. He grinned and gathered up the ctgs. .32ACPs. Then I gave my account, described the 3 persons, and what the gun looked like, direction they left ...etc.

Never asked me anything about my gun, just looked me straight in the eye and did that head nod - we understood each other.

The male employee has the cell phone, in pcs from hitting the one youth, in a napkin. He snagged it while I was marking ctgs. Officer add this to evidence.

The officer was very polite, firm, still polite- "did it ever dawn on anyone to lock the front door, and seek cover away from a gun being pointed and waved around less that 5 steps away?

Another male comes from out of the back room, " did I miss something?" . He totally froze and lost it, and he was not around or aware of all this going on.

One female, just up and said today is her last day. She starts a new job next Monday - she has been afraid something like this would happen.

Officer said I would be contacted if/ as needed. He appreciated my assistance and again he looked me straight in the eye, and gave that certain nod of understanding as I left.

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Broad daylight, folks out and about. Situations happen in the blink of an eye.

I have been mulling this over. I probably made some mistakes, at this moment, I don't see them.

Only thing that comes to mind is I did have options, the most glaring is, if that gun had gone off while he was at my hood, quicker to throw gearshift down into drive and run truck at him. This would have stopped an immediate threat . Behind him was glass storefront with bars on the inside of tobacco store.

Regards,

Steve