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Gunman stopped by armed store patron in Texas Wal-Mart

DocNTexas

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, Texas, USA
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A likelymass killing wasprevented by an alert and armed Wal-Mart patron in Commerce, Texas.

29-year-old Artenio Rodriguez, who had already been injured after exchanging shots with Commerce, Texas police officers, was chased into and cornered by police in the local Wal-Mart parking lot. Reportedly defying police direction to disarm and surrender, and despite being at multiple officer gunpoint, the gunman exited his bullet riddled vehicle with a handgun and a long gun and entered the store, where employees and patron were watching the event unfold. Fortunately, one of the stores patrons that day was armed and seeing the man headed for the store, tookaction by confronting the gunman as he enter the foyer of the store. The patron, an off duty deputy from a neighboring county, was shopping in the store with his wife when he saw the man headed for the entrance with weapons in hand, prompting him to confront the man as he entered. Shots were exchanged and the gunman was killed in the doorway of the store. Unfortunately, the deputy was also hit in the exchange, shot in the chest, but he is reported to be in good condition and expected to make a full recovery. Had it not been for the armed patron inside the Wal-Mart, the gunman would have entered the facility and very likely killed many of the patrons inside before officers could intervene.

News reports vary somewhat as to whether confronting officers fired on the gunman in an attempt to stop him from entering the store or if they shot only after the gunman engaged the off duty officer or if all shots were simply between the off duty deputy and the gunman. What iscertain is that this was a volatile situation and letting him enter the building was the last thing officers would want to allow. In light of his already proven willingness to fire at officers, the minute he exited the vehicle and headed for the store with his weapons in hand, the use of deadly force to prevent his entering the building would have been justified and they should have done so, if at all possible.

Whether the confronting officers fired on him or not, the main point here is the fact that even with officers in the parking lot, with weapons drawn on the gunman, events can occur that prevent them from protecting a store full of innocent people. This serves as strong evidence that even in the best of circumstances, people can still be left to defend themselves. Had it not been for an armed patron inside the store (and yes, despite the fact that he was a off duty deputy, he was still a common patron of the store at the time, as opposed to any type of organized law enforcement or security), this gunman would have had free rain to terrorize, maim and kill the innocent people inside, while the police tried to regain control. While I am sure the responding officers did their best to deal with the situation, it was still an armed citizen inside the store that ultimately stopped the gunman,very likely preventing a mass killing.

My thoughts and appreciation go out to the deputy and hope for his speedy recovery.

Doc



http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/030710dnmetcommerce.1858a0ede.html
 

Texas Jack

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Hoo Raw for the Deputy and God's speed with his recovery

My ranch is down the road in Sulphur Springs and I had property in Cumby and shopped in Commerce numerous times, as does friends of ours. Thank God for people like him
 

Task Force 16

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The intial report I read on this Sunday night is that this event supposedly started some 50 miles away.

Shots were reported near a bridge from a vehicle. The vehicle was reproted to be headed towards Commerce and local LEO attempted to stop the car as it approached the city limits. Shots were fired at that point. I saw a photo of the gunmans Mustang in the WM parking lot with bullet wholes in the drivers door and rear window.

Haven't heard anything on a possible motive, yet.
 

DocNTexas

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, Texas, USA
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Task Force 16 wrote:
The intial report I read on this Sunday night is that this event supposedly started some 50 miles away.

Shots were reported near a bridge from a vehicle. The vehicle was reproted to be headed towards Commerce and local LEO attempted to stop the car as it approached the city limits. Shots were fired at that point. I saw a photo of the gunmans Mustang in the WM parking lot with bullet wholes in the drivers door and rear window.

Haven't heard anything on a possible motive, yet.

That is what I have read in several accounts. Greenville police notified Commerce Police that they had received a report of a man firing three shots from thewindow of his car while driving and that the vehicle was heading toward the City of Commerce. The caller reportedly continued to follow the gunman,relaying location and direction of travel to Greenville authorities.Commerceofficers intercepted the vehicle on the edge of town, where the gunman fired on officers, prompting the to return fire and subsequently wound the gunman. The gunman then lead officers on a pursuit that ended in the Wal-Mart parking lot. In the parking lot, officers reportedly held the suspect at gunpoint while urging him to surrender, but the man exited the vehicle with his weapons andran into the store, where the off duty deputyconfrontedhim, prompting the final exchange of fire.

This account is derived frominformation obtained from the numerous news reports out there at this time and my not include all the pertinent details, butI feel it can be consideredarelatively accurate account.

Again, it is not clear if the confronting officers tried to prevent his entry into the build or if they fired only after the gunman engaged the deputy, but either way, the gunman would have made it into the building full of citizens had it not been for an armed patron of the store. Again, despite their best efforts, police are not the ultimate answerto personal safety. Let them do their job but prepare to protect yourself when they can't.

Doc
 

Kelly Ash

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Nov 23, 2008
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N. Dallas, Texas, USA
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I'm happy the POS is dead and the cop survived. This states laws are geared toward the criminals enough as it is. We need unlicensed open and concealed carry something fierce.
 
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