Things that can get you killed these days!

Lucas County Sheriff’s deputy Alan Gaston entered a local IRS office in full uniform with his badge and firearm visible. He only wanted to ask a question. A deputy came over to him and told him to disarm since it was a gun-free zone. Deputy Gaston explained he can’t disarm while on duty.

The conversation ends abruptly as the guard points a gun at the deputy’s back. Gaston vividly remembers “that” moment.

“Basically preparing myself to be shot at that moment. Bracing for a shot in my back,” said Gaston.

That’s when he decided to leave to de-escalate the situation. He also wanted to get away from the other people so they wouldn’t also be shot. The deputy followed him to the elevator with gun drawn. As the deputy got into the elevator, the security guard tried to grab him to arrest him but Gaston is a defense trainer so that didn’t work for the enthusiastic security guard.

The guard went from 0 to 100 in a second, Gaston said.

Employees called police but didn’t bother to tell them the person who came in armed was obviously law enforcement.

As it happens, the guard, the radically eager Seth Eklund, is facing a charge of aggravated menacing and the deputy is on medical leave for stress after thinking Eklund was going to kill him.

Gaston is suing the IRS.