Dayton: Man critically hurt in foiled carjacking

In an incident that recalls memories of the carjacking murder of Tony Gordon in 2003, the Dayton Daily News is reporting that two men shot the owner of a tricked-up late-model GMC Yukon during an attempted carjacking outside of a state-mandated victim zone on West Third Street early Saturday.

From the story:

The victim, shot twice, was in extremely critical condition following emergency surgery at Miami Valley Hospital, police said.

The incident occurred outside the VFW Post at 3200 W. Third St. shortly after midnight.

Dayton police said two men in their 30s were leaving the post when two men armed with high-caliber handguns ordered them into the SUV at gunpoint. The gunmen robbed the owner of a diamond ring, cash, and the car keys, then shot the driver twice in the upper body.

A passing police cruiser heard the shots and called backup to the scene. The gunmen noticed the cruiser and ran off, allowing the second victim to escape without injury.

Police teams tracked the suspects into a field, where they arrested two men, aged 37 and 40, and a .45- caliber handgun.

Both men were held at the Montgomery County Jail pending charges.

According to WHIOTV.com, authorities say they believe the men are career criminals from the state of Georgia, and that they believe the men may be responsible for a series of robberies. Ohio law currently bans bearing arms for self-defense in places where alcohol is served with a Class D license, such as this VFW Post. There is no reason to doubt that career criminals such as these are smart enough to figure out where easy (defenseless) marks can be found.

In August 2003, James A. "Tony" Gordon was carjacked by criminals who wanted the expensive custom wheels off of his 1987 Ford Thunderbird, which he had been laboring to restore. In the wake of his death, the Gordon family marched in several open carry "Defense Walks", including a walk in the hometown of Senate President Doug White, who was at the time acting as an obstructionist to House Bill 12. The Gordons also participated in a Walk outside the Governor's Mansion in Bexley. Tony Gordon's murderers have still not been apprehended.