Ohio Carry organized a gathering Saturday near the site of a gas station robbery attempt in Canton where a clerk suffered two gunshot wounds after he exchanged fire with masked men. The event was to show support for the clerk.

Tommy Dalo stood in a parking lot across from a Marathon gas station surrounded by men with guns. But the firearms weren’t brandished, they weren’t fired.



Dalo, who had a Glock 10 mm tucked in a holster, joined others — fellow concealed-carry permit holders — on Saturday afternoon to show support for the Marathon clerk who was wounded during a Sept. 22 robbery attempt in which he fired shots that resulted in the deaths of two assailants, according to police.



Police have said the clerk was shot twice — once in the leg and once in the hip. The clerk told officers he had fired back when three masked men came to rob the gas station at 2201 Ninth St SW.



Police said the clerk was carrying the gun legally with the visible case on his side, known as open carry. The clerk exchanged gunfire with the robbers, police said. A fellow employee was not shot.



Police have identified a man they say is the third robber, charging him in the case.



A vigil was held recently near the gas station by family and friends of the two men who died — Antonio S. Gracia, 23, and Ronnie L. Lawson, 21.



SUPPORTING A FRIEND



The Kent-based Ohio Carry group organized Saturday’s event.



“I was shocked,” Dalo said of the robbery at the gas station. “I wanted to come down here with my gun and guard the place, honestly.”



The clerk armed himself because of previous robberies, said Dalo, a longtime friend of the clerk.



Dalo’s wife, Cassandra, said she obtained a concealed-carry permit because she works at a pizza shop in northwest Canton that has been robbed.



“It’s seconds before you can get shot, and minutes before the police can arrive,” she said. “And it’s better to rely on yourself for once instead of relying on someone else for protection.”



REASONS FOR EVENT



Brett Pucillo, president of Ohio Carry, estimated that about 150 people attended the three-hour event. More than $600 was raised for the clerk. A free concealed-carry class also is being offered to him.



Pucillo said the event had four main purposes:



• Show support for the clerk and raise money for his medical bills.



• Ohio Carry and others, including AVL Security & Tactical of Elyria and Miller’s Advanced Weaponry of New Philadelphia, provided information on the concealed-carry law, including how to sign up for training.



• Ohio Carry also answered firearm-related questions. “We want to show people we’re not a militia, we’re not vigilantes,” Pucillo said. “All we want to do is to be able to go home at the end of the day and see our families.”



• Support the legal carrying of firearms.



‘HE’S NOT ALONE’



Anthony Good, 25, of Canton, said he has had a concealed-carry permit for about two years.



“I really couldn’t believe it, and I was shocked,” he said of the robbery in which the clerk was wounded. “I was glad he did what he did to protect himself and his coworker, and that could have gone from bad to worse a whole lot quicker.



“I’m a firm believer in the Second Amendment and your constitutional rights,” Good added. “I’m glad all these people turned up just to show (the clerk) he’s not alone and people have his back when he needs it.”



Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 or

ed.balint@cantonrep.com

On Twitter: @ebalintREP



