Louisiana man attempts to steal gun openly-carried, is shot and killed after struggle
WWL (CBS New Orleans) is reporting that a disgruntled customer was shot and killed after he tried to take an openly-carried gun from a man who followed him outside to record his license-plate number.
From the article:
'We got a call around 10:15 a.m. this morning, what we call a disperse subject. Apparently, the store was having a problem with a customer," said Capt. Ron Ruple. "They were asking that law enforcement come and remove the subject."
According to Mandeville Police, the victim, later identified as Shawn Breland, 42, of Folsom, was inside the store and after buying something he began berating the clerk. The clerk ordered Breland to leave the store, and Breland came back inside several times.
Another man who was inside the store and carried a visible firearm in a holster also tried to de-escalate the situation and warned Breland to leave.
"The deceased left but returned throwing what appears to be potatoes chips at the clerk. The shooter then follows the deceased outside to get his vehicle license plate number for the police. When the deceased saw the shooter getting his plate info, he exited his vehicle and physically attacked the shooter," said a statement from Mandeville Police.
The unidentified man then drew his gun after being attacked. The man then went inside the store, but Breland followed him inside and continued to attack him.
"The video shows the deceased, who his larger than the shooter, physically shoving and pulling the shooter back and forth. The video also shows the deceased attempting to grab for the firearm. The shooter order the deceased back and told him he would shoot him if he did not stop," said a statement from police.
"The shooter retreated into a corner of the store while still being attacked. With nowhere left to retreat, the shooter fires one round striking the deceased. The deceased does not stop his attacks and the shooter fires two more rounds, striking the subject, who then falls to the ground," the statement concluded.
According to the article, the man who fired the shot is a concealed carry and self-defense instructor.
While the circumstances of this case differ from others we've seen, it bears noting that this is not the first such incident involving a criminal attack on someone openly-carrying a firearms that has made news. Earlier this year a Virginia man was robbed of his openly-carried gun. Last year, a Portland, OR man was robbed of his Walther P22 by a man in flip-flops. Similar incidents have occurred in Michigan and Wisconsin.
I read a lot of firearms-related news media reports every day, and have done so for over a decade now, and I can't think of a single incident in which a concealed carry licensee was taken by surprise and had their concealed gun taken away from them. I'm not saying it's never happened, but it stands to reason that a thug is much less likely to try and steal something from you when they don't know it's there.
As these examples prove, openly-carried firearms may not be much of deterrent to today's street thugs - even ones wearing flip-flops. Instead, a gun worn so that others know it is there may be perceived as nothing more than an invitation to take it.
I am glad open carry is legal in Ohio. I want it to remain legal in Ohio. That being said, I share law enforcement and TDI instructor Greg Ellifritz's conclusion that the perils of open carry are such that it just isn’t a very good idea most of the time.
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.
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