Two Legally-Armed Bystanders Break Up Shooting At Maine Walmart
Two legally-armed bystanders may have prevented a shooting at a Maine Walmart from escalating into an even worse situation than it already was, WCSH (Portland, Maine) is reporting.
At about 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, according to Bangor Daily News, police were called to the parking lot of the Walmart in Augusta, Maine, in response to a shooting. The occupants of two vehicles parked next to each other somehow got involved in an altercation, which then escalated into gunfire. The occupants of one vehicle opened fire, and the occupants of the other vehicle returned fire.
Augusta police: Legally armed, bystanders break up Walmart shooting https://t.co/QovxQVuCle pic.twitter.com/qkzP4aq4KV
— WCSH 6 (@WCSH6) June 27, 2016
One of the suspects then exited his vehicle and began walking toward the other; that was when the two bystanders, who were both legally carrying weapons, intervened. It is not clear, as of this writing, exactly how the bystanders intervened, or what happened after the shooting.
It is also not clear if the bystanders were carrying concealed weapons or openly carrying their weapons, both of which are legal in Maine.
One person suffered minor injuries in the shooting.
Police made four arrests in connection with the shooting: Kwiesha McBride of Harlem, New York, was faced with charges of reckless conduct with a firearm and aggravated heroin trafficking; Frankie Dejesus of Rochester, New York, was charged with reckless conduct with a firearm and aggravated assault; Diana Davis of Rochester, New York was charged with with aggravated assault; and Samantha Tupper of Augusta was charged with heroin possession and violation of parole.
Authorities say McBride and DeJesus actually fired the shots. McBride was grazed across the abdomen by one of the bullets.
Police are not identifying either of the armed bystanders. However, one of the bystanders identified himself to local media as Daniel Chavanne.
RT @ChrisCostaTV: Daniel Chavanne says he was one of the armed bystanders who broke up the fight at Walmart pic.twitter.com/xfAL1Wnsob
— WCSH 6 (@WCSH6) June 27, 2016
Augusta police say that although this particular incident ended without tragedy (save for a minor injury), it is never a good idea for an untrained individual to intervene in a crime unless absolutely necessary. Instead, bystanders are encouraged to be “good witnesses.”
Whether or not a “good guy with a gun” is the key to stopping a “bad guy with a gun,” it is clear that, in several documented incidents, a law-abiding individual with a gun has prevented, or at least minimized, a crime.
In 2015, according to Bretibart, an Uber driver who was legally carrying a concealed weapon stopped a mass shooting in Chicago. In April 2015, the driver, who has not been identified, had just dropped off a passenger near the Windy City’s crowded Logan Square. At about that time, 22-year-old Everardo Custodio allegedly began firing into the crowd. The Uber driver pulled out his own weapon and fired six shots at Custodio, hitting him in the shin, thigh, and lower back.
Also reported by Bretibart was another 2015 case, this time in Philadelphia, in which a legally-armed individual may have prevented a mass shooting. In this case, an unidentified man was walking past a barbershop when an altercation erupted inside. An unnamed 40-year-old got into an argument with another patron, and, as the argument escalated, began shooting. Employees and other patrons — including children — dove for cover; meanwhile, the bystander grabbed his weapon, stepped inside, and shot the gunman in the chest. The gunman later died of his injuries.
At the time, Philadelphia Police Captain Frank Llewellyn praised the armed man’s actions.
“He responded and I guess he saved a lot of people in there.”
Do you think legally armed individuals are helpful at preventing mass shootings and other crimes?
[Image via Shutterstock/Mr.Nikon]
