Dairy Queen manager defends self and employees against armed robber

WEWS (NBC Cleveland) reported recently that a Dairy Queen manager with an Ohio concealed handgun license shot an armed robber in Mayfield Heights Sunday evening.

From the article:

According to police, the robbery attempt happened around 10:21 p.m. at the restaurant at 5713 Mayfield Road.

Witnesses stated that a younger male wearing a camouflage jacket and a black knit cap entered the back door of the business when an employee opened the door to take out the garbage.

The suspect, identified by Mayfield Police as Jamiez Markel Demonte Martin Miree, went into the store pointing a gun at employees. That's when the Dairy Queen manager shot at the suspect three times.

Officers were able to follow a blood trail from Dairy Queen to the rear of 5767 Mayfield Road. They found several articles of clothing worn by the robbery suspect.

According to the report, police later located the suspect near Interstate 271, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the right wrist. He was detained at gunpoint and transported for medical treatment.

Dairy Queen Corporate released a statement the next day:

The location involved in the robbery is an independently owned and operated sub-franchise. ...We have reached out to the Territory Operator that franchises this location to offer our assistance.

In separate coverage from WOIO (CBS Cleveland), a Dairy Queen official is quoted as saying the company does not have a specific gun policy for its employees.

A neighbor told WOIO she is relieved the employee was prepared.

"It was good too that he was able to take care of the incident there. So I feel a little safer," she said.

It is encouraging to see a company that does not infringe on the right of its employees to bear arms. In similar incidences in fast food like Waffle House, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, as well as in other national chains like 7-Eleven, Walgreen's, Wal-Mart, have fired employees for exercising their right to self-defense.

Bravo to Dairy Queen, and to the prepared manager who was able to protect themselves and their employees. My next fast food meal will be a FlameThrower Grillburger from DQ!

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.