Mall Shooting Victim Pulled Weapon, Family Says

KIR07TV.com ^ | 2:12 pm PST November 22, 2005 | KIR07TV.com

[JimRic54]

Mall Shooting Victim Pulled Weapon, Family Says

POSTED: 10:37 am PST November 22, 2005 UPDATED: 2:12 pm PST November 22, 2005

TACOMA, Wash. -- The family of the most seriously wounded victim in the Tacoma Mall shooting says he pulled his own weapon and confronted the gunman.

Brendan "Dan" McKown was shot Sunday before he could fire at Dominick Sergio Maldonado, family members said at a news conference Tuesday.

Roger and Beverly McKown of Yelm said their son is a hero who likely saved other people at the mall by confronting the gunman.

[JimRic54]

Really sad that the victim may never be able to walk again.

[sure_fine]

that hero needs to learn to shoot first, talk afterwards

[SoDak]

No doubt, do not pull a weapon unless you are fully prepared to use it.

[RightWinger]

This is exactly why all responsible citizens should have the right to carry a concealed weapon.

The good people with guns will quickly take out the bad.

[null and void]

Really sad that the victim may never be able to walk again.

Never is a long time. Medical technology in spinal repair is advancing in leaps and bounds. He will be walking again sooner than you think.

[Thinkin' Gal]

Hudson also said Maldonado's first demand after barricading himself inside the store was to confront three police officers he claimed had humiliated him at a youth summer camp.

Has this perp converted to Islam yet?

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Handgun vs Rifle is never good odds for the handgun. I read another person was a couple of feet away with his concealed piece and chose not to act, but got his family to safety.

Tough choice to have to make. If you can't take them out with the first shot to the computer region it may be better to wait.

[null and void]

Yeah. And no one really knows what they would do until they've been there.

[theDentist]

Unfortunately, he just did. But he likely did save some lives.

[Lancer_N3502A]

Rumor is the FBI is looking into it.

[Right Wing Assault]

You don't confront a gunman in this situation. You wait until he's not looking and shoot his a$$. You don't give him a chance at all. Don't play hero and say, "Son, you should drop that gun." You pull the trigger, and while the bullet is coming out the back of his head, THEN you say it.

[randog]

Hudson also said Maldonado's first demand after barricading himself inside the store was to confront three police officers he claimed had humiliated him at a youth summer camp.

... The hostages said Maldonado eventually broke into tears, dismantling his weapons and handing them over to the hostages.

And he thinks his fellow prisoners at the State Pen aren't going to ridicule him for that?

[Oatka]

Handgun vs Rifle is never good odds for the handgun.

Agreed. Mebbe it's an Urban Legend, but in the Old West there was a grudge fight between two guys - one with a pistol, the other with a rifle, and they shot it out at 50 yards.

The rifle guy killed the pistol guy and was brought to trial. The jury found him not guilty because the handgun guy committed suicide.

The judge and prosecutor were furious, as the handgun guy had rifle bullets in him. When confronted, the jury foreman said, "We figger anybody with a handgun who tries to shoot it out with someone armed with a rifle is committing suicide."

[jaguaretype]

"The hostages said Maldonado eventually broke into tears, dismantling his weapons and handing them over to the hostages.

And he thinks his fellow prisoners at the State Pen aren't going to ridicule him for that?"

This'll go over real well in the slam for this guy.

His hiney will definitely get dismantled repeatedly

[Redcloak]

BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! BAM!!... STOP OR I'LL SHOOT!"

...a fine tactical approach; covers those legal bases and keeps you out of the hospital.

[confederate_infidel]

We should send this guy in the hospital flowers!

[flashbunny]

like they say about carrying a knife for defense: Your opponent shouldn't know you have a knife until he feels it.

[VeniVidiVici]

Maldonado, 20, of Tacoma, pleaded not guilty on Monday to assault, kidnapping and firearms charges for Sunday's shooting.

Strange set of charges considering how many people he shot.

[sure_fine]

the way I read it, the perp had already started the shooting, to me that makes him legal game

[Right Wing Assault]

Attempted murder??

[School of Rational Thought]

Had the shooter already fired his weapon?

Under MI law, if shooter had, one could legally put him down.

What is Washington law?

[xsrdx]

Arrggh. Curious about the specifics.

Was the victim threatened, and drew his gun as a last ditch option, or did he draw and start a conversation?

Did the gun malf?

This is tragic, and not at all the way it should have turned out, but the lessons learned would be useful to the CCW community.

[xsrdx]

What is Washington law?

I don't know, but anybody running around a mall with two guns threatening to shoot people represents a pretty obvious lethal threat, in any state, whether he's fired the gun or not.

No need to wait until somebody gets hurt to stop the threat, but I am curious why the victim didn't fire his gun.

[DaveLoneRanger]

(((Armed Citizen ping)))



You are being pinged because of your interest in every-day citizens using firearms to save life and limb. Freep-mail if you want on/off.

---

I think this person deserves the armed citizen ping. He may have become a victim, but he went down trying, and that is honorable. Sometimes, results don't count as much as intentions and motives.

Also an example of when NOT to fire a warning shot, an ongoing debate among some armed citizen ping list members.

[George from New England]

"Did the gun malf?"

VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION...

I had two Keltics that loved to misfire and jam.

One was a 32, the other a 380.

Keltics seems to be picked as to the ammo you use. One of mine had a "bad" spring too.

[kerryusama04]

God bless this hero and his family and thanks for posting this.

[r9etb]

This is exactly why all responsible citizens should have the right to carry a concealed weapon. The good people with guns will quickly take out the bad.

While I completely agree with your first statement, the facts of this story show that it's not always going to end up according to your second one: the good guy lost this time.

[zip]

Worth repeating:

that hero needs to learn to shoot first, talk afterwards

[Horatio Gates]

In Washington you wouldn't have to wait for a shot to be fired. You would have to be able to articulate that you were reasonable when you popped the perp because his actions were about to harm or injure either yourself or another. Shots previously fired (like you mentioned), coming up on target to take shots, making threats to shoot others....that kind of stuff

[SLB]

On the way to Cincinnati this morning my oldest daughter, who was along for the ride, brought up the subject of why someone at the mall who might have been armed did not take him out. She said she hopes she would have had presences of mind to have shot him at the soonest time possible, not warned him, yelled or any other nonsense, just popped him at the first available time.

[Horatio Gates]

FYI follow-up ping

Man hurt worst at mall off respirator, talking

The Associated Press
Last updated: November 25th, 2005 03:00 AM (PST)

A man critically injured in a shooting Sunday at the Tacoma Mall has been removed from a respirator and has spoken to his family, a hospital spokesman said Thursday. Brendan “Dan” McKown, 38, was removed from a respirator Thursday morning, and his condition was upgraded to serious but stable. No other information was available.

“He remains very weak and medically fragile,” but he is talking with staff and family members, said Todd Kelley, spokesman for Tacoma General Hospital.

McKown was the most seriously wounded of six people shot. He was hit twice in the abdomen and underwent two surgeries. Doctors worry he might be left with permanent paralysis because of spinal damage.

“He will likely be in serious but stable (condition) for some time,” Kelley said.

Dominick Sergio Maldonado, 20, is being held on $2 million bail in Pierce County. He pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of assault, kidnapping and firearms possession.

[Right Wing Assault]

Thanks. Poor guy. Too bad he didn't nail the bad guy.