Posted on 07/17/2012 1:02:25 PM PDT by TurboZamboni
MARION COUNTY, Fla. — An elderly patron at a strip mall casino in Marion County shot two men who attempted to rob the place, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
According to investigators, two men burst into the Palms Internet Cafe on State Road 200 in Ocala on Friday afternoon.
A sheriff's report said that one of the men was carrying a baseball bat, the other had a gun.
(Excerpt) Read more at wftv.com ...
Yup, they did. But, Williams escalated it. Whether it was warranted is a matter of opinion.
There's no sound, so we can't tell what was said. Williams said that he was afraid they would start shooting. I don't know what caused that concern, at the moment he acted, the perpetrator wasn't even pointing the gun at anyone. However, at the moment of his first shot, the perpetrator had just turned to look at Williams and was pointing the gun in his direction.
I’m guessing you would have kept everyone safe by not poking out your head?
I wouldn't have shot first with an innocent bystander near or behind the perp.
And, I wouldn't have shot first when there was a potentially armed accomplice, obstructed by two other innocent bystanders.
If The Punisher had a grandpa...
Actually, Williams stood up from a seated position directly into the line of fire. He was already exposed, but made it worse.
Four shots, four slugs in meat.
Yes, he did well in that respect. But, an anti-gun DA could make the case that the last two shots (through the open door) were unnecessary. I wouldn't fault him for it, but I'm not running for public office.
The one that fell to the floor and crawled out the door was the perp with the handgun. Given the angle that Williams was shooting, it could have only been the one on the floor.
If there is an affirmative action prosecutor like the one persecuting George Zimmerman in Gainseville, Williams' actions will be scrutinized.
That's exactly my point. It looks like the perp was crawling away on the ground, and Williams shot him in the butt through the open door. Regardless of whether you consider that right or wrong, it subjects Williams to unwanted scrutiny.
Williams didn't "escalate it". Williams brought to an end an attempted armed robbery. If you don't believe that Williams' actions were warranted, then you'll probably find yourself among a small minority who share your opinion.
Some prosecutor will find a chick to claim gramps molested them and MSNBC will broadcast his address.
Everyone's entitled an opinion, including me.
Williams said that he thought the robbers would start shooting. The news article doesn't say why he thought that. However, I saw nothing on that video that indicated that the one perp with a gun was threatening to shoot anyone. When confronted by Williams, he ran like a rabbit.
Yes, Williams deserves credit for stopping a robbery. But, in doing so, he fired a shot at the perp while one, and possibly two other innocent bystanders were in his field of fire. And two patrons were also between him and a possibly armed accomplice.
It all ended well, at least for now. Hopefully, an anti-gun DA doesn't decide to harass Williams for continuing to shoot after the perps had fled the premises. I don't know if FL law allows the use of deadly force against a fleeing felon.
But, it could have very easily all gone bad, and Williams would have been blamed (rightly or wrongly) for escalating the confrontation. As someone else posted... it's really is a difficult choice: if you act preemptively, you risk making the situation worse. But, the only way you can be sure is to wait until the perp actually shoots someone.
It really sucks when the good guys have to think about lawsuits and lawyers when bad people are threatening them with bodily harm.
Yeah, it does. But, that's why every self-defense class I've taken points out that you put your entire net worth on the line if you pull the trigger.
You have to decide if you, or someone you love is really at risk, and act accordingly. Sometimes, that means not acting at all.
I ask myself..."Is this the hill you want to die on?" fairly often.
But it's not all cut and dried sometimes..............
Isn’t this the story we had yesterday?
Typical idiot writer apparently. Calls it a casino and then refers to the Palms Internet Cafe....
I'm going to wait until they get me into a position where I'm can't pull my gun without them seeing me, let them herd me and the others into a back room, make us all lie on the floor, then allow myself to be shot in the back of the head. /S
Walther PPK 380 with MagSafe ammo, or a higher caliber in a small arm with same ammo. It has hollow point, with small shot inside set in a resin. It has the accuracy And the punch with low recoil— deadly really.
Example: .45 ACP SUPER SWAT load, clocks at 2,160 + feet per second (fps) in a five-inch autoloader - yet has about one-third the recoil.
Example 2: The 9mm Mini-Glock Load cruises along at about 2,000 fps from Glock’s small Model 26, yet has far more stopping ability than the nastiest .357 magnum or 10mm hollowpoint in the world. Yet the recoil is about like shooting low-powered target loads.
If you need, put a handgrip squeeze laser on it. Point and click— boom, and much reduced “collateral” damage to others. As in all cases, if you are going to shoot, then you are not shooting to “nick”. website is magsafeonline.com and check out the gel patterns.
Not a salesperson for them. Pretty amazing invention for concealed carry and close in system. May go to the shorty .45 semi-auto or 9 mm since that data is out.
If you could live with the knowledge that an innocent was dead that you might possibly have saved if you acted sooner, then you are hardly the sort of person who others should consult for "advice"...
Williams said that he thought the robbers would start shooting.
that satisfies the requirement to be in fear of imminent death or bodily harm - the only standard he needs to meet to utilize deadly force
I watched the video...at no time is a bystander inside the cafe in the line of fire...you are nitpicking...when I worked the street I would have taken the same first shots that Williams' did...the woman is at least two feet out of the line of fire and clearly frozen in position.
oh, and Williams doesn't fire until the thug has painted half the cafe with the muzzle several times and is swinging back towards Williams. I say he did a fine job of remaining cool and waiting for the thug to be turned away so Williams could draw and fire without being fired upon.
throughout the incident Williams remains in a crouch, advances while firing and appears to utilize double taps...again, it's easy for you to monday morning quarterback...hope you can make the same appropriate choices Williams made if you need to.
regards
I'm no ballistics expert, but I'm callin' BS on this statement. Show me where I am wrong, 'cause you ain't touching a .357 Magnum or 10mm with any 9mm I ever heard of.
His pistol did not appear to be locked and loaded at the time. He was quick and did a gutsy job.
Actually, I was referring to the woman in a light shirt and jeans that was behind the perp, and next to the desk. She is out of the view of the camera when Williams started shooting, but then comes out immediately after the perp flees for the door.
it's easy for you to monday morning quarterback...hope you can make the same appropriate choices Williams made if you need to.
If it's easy for me, it's easy for an anti-gun DA running for re-election to do so. It sucks, but that's the way it is.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.