Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Dallas has no shortage of gainful employment opportunities—the DFW metropolitan area’s economy ranks tenth-largest in the world. Even so, there will always be some willing to risk it all for an ill-gotten payday. But as the following eight accounts prove, when the target is an Armed Citizen, that gamble rarely pays off.

A man armed with a rifle entered a Waffle House in DeSoto, Texas, and robbed the business and the customers inside. As the robber went to the parking lot, an armed Right-to-Carry permit holder followed, concerned the criminal might harm his wife, who was set to arrive at the restaurant. The armed citizen confronted the robber, who then pointed the rifle at him. Presented with this threat, the Right-to-Carry permit holder shot the robber. When the authorities arrived, the wounded robber was taken to a local hospital. (The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, 07/13/2016)

An alarm installed in a tool shed alerted a homeowner in Dallas, Texas, to a burglary in progress on his property. The homeowner retrieved a gun, went outside to the shed and ordered the criminal, who had been attempting to steal a weed eater, to stop where he was. When the burglar did not comply, the homeowner—fearful for his own safety and that of his family—fired, striking the criminal multiple times. Despite suffering from gunshot wounds, the burglar managed to hop a fence and flee a half-mile to his apartment. However, once there the criminal’s family called 911 and he was discovered by authorities and taken to a local hospital. An investigation revealed that the criminal has a previous burglary conviction. (KDFW, Dallas, Texas, 06/24/13, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, 06/24/13)

Manager Joe Cho was working in the office of Pepe’s Grocery and Deli in Dallas, Texas, when two armed men wearing bandannas entered the store and demanded money from a cashier. Cho responded by retrieving a .38-caliber revolver and firing at the criminals, who returned fire and fled. None of Cho’s employees were hurt during the incident. Cho’s decision to provide for his and his employee’s defense proved to be a wise one. Following the attempted robbery, Cho notified the police, telling them, “Hey, we got robbed, I need police as soon as possible.” “As soon as possible” turned out to be about an hour and 20 minutes later. (The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, 05/06/13)

A homeowner in Dallas, Texas, heard a suspicious noise in his house, went to investigate, and discovered a man attempting to crawl through a window. The homeowner retrieved a gun and shot the home invader, killing him. In comments to local media, Dallas Police Sergeant described the homeowner’s actions, ending with “according to the law, the castle doctrine, he used deadly force.” The deceased intruder’s mother came to the scene after hearing about the shooting, but wasn’t surprised by the outcome, stating of her son, “Yeah, it’s something he would do.” Police records confirm her statement, showing the home invader had half a dozen arrests for theft. (NBCDFW, Dallas, Texas, 02/18/13, The Dallas Observer, Dallas, Texas, 02/19/13)

A man in Terrell, Texas, was walking his dog in Ben Gill Park, when four men approached him. At least one in the group displayed a firearm and attempted to rob the man, but the intended victim, a Right-to-Carry permit holder, pulled his gun and fired at the robbers, striking one, while the others fled. The wounded robber was taken to the hospital, where he later died. Despite fleeing the scene, the police were able to track down one of the dead man's accomplices and charge him with aggravated robbery. The Right-to-Carry permit holder does not face any charges. (The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, 12/18/08)

Locksmith Dennis Baker, the victim of three burglaries in less than a month, has a home security system and three surveillance cameras monitoring his property. But police say the fourth burglary was foiled by an unlikely source—Baker's pet parrot, Salvador, which says "hello" when it sees someone. Presumably spotting the prowler, the bird squawked, "Hello, hello," waking Baker, who retrieved a gun and investigated, locating the suspect in a garage. Baker noted, "He had his hands in his pockets when he came through here. I had no idea what he had." Baker shot the burglar, killing him. (The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, 10/17/07)

A man was sitting in his vehicle while his wife shopped for groceries. To his horror, three men burst into the store with a gun, appeared to fire and began robbing customers. The man called 9-1-1, then received a call from his wife. "I just heard her saying, `There is nothing in my purse,'" he recollects. "And there was a ‘pow.’ The phone went dead." The man, a concealed handgun license holder, sprang from his vehicle and entered the store with his .45-caliber pistol. He hoped to avoid confronting the bandits, but police say that was not to be. One of the robbers pointed a gun at the man, and he responded by firing two shots at the suspect, injuring him as his accomplices fled. Neither the man's wife nor any others were harmed. "I was just worried about my wife," the man said, noting he took no satisfaction in shooting the suspect. "I just wanted to get her out of there." (The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, 07/05/07)

Seeing an armed man enter the Dallas, Texas, gas station that had been the scene of prior robberies, a station attendant reacted quickly, retrieving a gun. When the would-be robber aimed his gun at him, the employee shot first, wounding his assailant in the side. Police took the wounded suspect into custody, and believe that he may have been responsible for several other robberies over the past month. (The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas, 11/29/04)