Last weekend, in Chicago, Reginald Gildersleeve tried to rob a local grocery store wearing a ski mask and a replica gun when he was shot and killed by a concealed carry holder. His family said that they’re “surprised” that Gildersleeve, a convicted felon, would try to commit a robbery. Robbery was one of the convictions on his rap sheet. Gildersleeve’s niece also said that the law-abiding citizen who acted in self-defense didn’t have to shoot him multiple times (via Chicago Sun-Times) [emphasis mine]:
Reginald Gildersleeve, 55, was wearing a mask at about 7 p.m. Saturday when he announced he was robbing Agencia Mexicana at 2701 W. 51st in Gage Park, police said.Gildersleeve was holding the replica gun when he got into a confrontation with a 44-year-old customer speaking with a store employee, police said. The customer shot Gildersleeve, a convicted felon.
Detectives notified prosecutors about the shooting, but police did not seek charges against the customer, said Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department.
“It was clearly a case of self-defense,” he said.
[…]
A niece, Lacreasha Williams, apologized on behalf of her family for Gildersleeve’s attempted robbery, but she said his relatives still question why he was killed.
“Could you shoot him in the arm or leg? Did you have to shoot him multiple times? You didn’t have to kill him,” she said.
[…]
He had a lengthy criminal record that included convictions for robbery, forgery, burglary and drug trafficking, according to court records. He was scheduled to appear in court next week on a trespassing charge.
You never aim for the arm or the leg. Even law enforcement isn’t trained in that manner for one simple purpose: they’re low probability shots and increase the likelihood on innocent bystanders being hit. You aim for the torso, which is the widest part of the body. The Washington Post noted that out of the several shots that entered Mr. Gildersleeve, one entered his chest. Yet, the majority of the Post’s article on this incident, and that of the Associated Press, revolved around discrediting carry rights.
Both articles cited the Michigan woman who was rightfully charged with reckless discharge of a firearm after she shot at shoplifters in the parking lot of a Home Depot in the Detroit-area. The woman took out one of the tires of their SUV as they fled and the suspects were arrested a week later, but she was in no immediate danger. It was not a defense of a third person situation. She could have called the police. There is this assumption in the media and anti-gun circles that concealed carry holders are always looking to shoot someone, or act in a law enforcement capacity. That’s patently false. Any concealed carry instructor is going to tell you that using your firearm is only for self-defense purposes after all other options have failed. Is running away one of those options? Absolutely. Anything you can do to leave the threatening situation and allow time to place a call to the police is what’s meant to be done. After all, concealed carry holders aren’t police officers. That being said, the vast majority of concealed carry holders are law-abiding, even more so than sworn police officers. The incident that transpired in Chicago was a case of self-defense of the permit holder and anyone else in the store that felt threatened.
Oh, and over the same weekend, the Windy City had another strong of shooting that left one dead and 22 wounded.
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