Editor’s Note: The following is a post from Sammy Reese, a former Marine Corps Artillery Officer and retired police officer from California. He is a part-time range master for the police department he retired from as well as a life-long martial artist and combatives coach.

• Ep. 1 Should I Shoot? When Lethal Force Can Be Used
• Ep. 2 Should I Shoot? Why You Need a Lawyer Now
• Ep. 3 Should I Shoot? ‘What Gun Should I Get?’
• Ep. 4 Should I Shoot? Probable Cause
• Ep. 5 Should I Shoot? What If the Crook has a Gun Pointed at the Clerk?
• Ep. 6 Should I Shoot? What Gun Should I Get Part II
• Ep. 7 Should I Shoot? The Fleeing Suspect And the Good (But Dead) Samaritan

I just read in the news that a concealed carry permit holder attempted to intervene in a domestic violence circumstance and ended up being shot and killed. I don’t have all the details and I’m quite certain the media will put a spin on the event to suit their needs, so getting all the facts might take some time.

A man shot at a woman in a parking lot outside of a store. One round went into the ground and another went into her leg. The attacker attempted to flee the scene. A husband and father of three witnessed the shooting and went to his vehicle to retrieve his pistol. When he attempted to stop the attacker from leaving, the attacker shot the man in his head, killing him instantly.

Decision-Making

As I previously mentioned, I won’t tell you what to do or when to do it, but I will give you some food for thought to help you expand your thought process, give your software (brain) as much of an upgrade as possible and push you to be proficient with your hardware (self-defense tools).

When I read about the above incident, my first thought was, “Why?” Why did this gentleman make the decision to do what he did? We all should have a line in the sand, so to speak, as to when we will get involved. I plan to make you think about all kinds of “what if?” situations and discuss plans and your individual line placement.

I recently wrote about all the “what ifs?” when caught in the middle of a convenience store robbery. The example I gave had no shots fired. In this case, as near as I can tell from the reports, the attacker fired two shots at the woman and later one fatal shot at the Good Samaritan. Do the first two shots change things? To me, it shows the attacker had crossed the line from brandishing a weapon during an argument and was now somewhere between assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder. In this case, the woman was hit in the ankle, so was he a bad shot?

Why Do You Carry Concealed?

Based on what I know of the situation, I have to go back to the reason I carry a concealed weapon: to protect my family and myself. I’m not a cop anymore. Even if I was, if I was off duty during this event, I’d be in witness-and-report mode. If I was with my family, I’d get them behind the best cover I could find. It might be in the truck heading the other way. I’d call 911 and give the dispatcher a play-by-play so responding officers would know as much as possible before they get on scene: suspect description, type of weapon seen, how many shots fired, suspect’s direction of travel, type of vehicle, number and type of injuries the first responders are going to have to deal with, etc. One thing I can guarantee is there will be cops coming with lights and sirens going. Depending on where you live population-wise, there might be a lot of them coming and they will have all kinds of tools at their disposal to take the attacker into custody.

A good man lost his life doing what he thought was the right thing based on his training and experience. I wasn’t there, so I won’t comment as to right or wrong, but what I will do is use this incident to create thinking and dialog for men and women who carry concealed. I want the good guys to make good decisions.

Is there a possibility that if the bad guy is not stopped, he will drive off and continue shooting people? Sure, anything is possible, but for argument’s sake and the topic of future articles, this isn’t an active shooter. He did what he did and was leaving. What should you do?

What would you have done if you witnessed the same scene? What if you decided to carry a two-shot derringer with you that day? What if you had your grandma with you? Lots of “what if?” questions. Keep adding to the list and keep working the plans so you are as prepared as possible.

For more critical information on the use of deadly force and other firearms and self-defense topics, visit www.uscca.com/GunsAmerica.