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http://www.newschannel5.com/news/local- ... lf-defense

She was loading her car with groceries, when a strange man approached her in the parking lot of Walmart.

She said it shocked and surprised her, she felt in fear of her life, so she drew her hand gun. The man stopped turned around and returned to the store and called 911. He only wanted a light for his cigarette. Police said he never got closer than 10 feet.

She was arrested for assault and endangerment.

Tennessee.

"I only wanted a light!" Sorry sport, I'm not buying it. If I was the responding LEO, I would have advised the complainant to buy a lighter.

Chas.

Charles L. Cotton wrote:"I only wanted a light!" Sorry sport, I'm not buying it. If I was the responding LEO, I would have advised the complainant to buy a lighter.

Chas.

I agree with Charles. The next question was gonna be: "Can you spare some change?"...then who knows where it was going from there. I would need a few more facts but if I am on that jury that is a quick vote for not guilty.

dlh

There is a technique or a methodology or strategy, whatever the right name is, for dealing with approaches like this that has been developed and taught by Instructors and practitioners like SouthNarc, Mark Human from South Africa, Central Texas Combatives Training Group, and no doubt others. I dunno who came up with it first, but it has been discussed on this forum a couple times, although the search function is so unhelpful I can't come up with the posts right now -- I will search later and try to post a link.

It was developed exactly for situations like this where you need to quickly deal with an apparent interview, go to arms if you have to, have a reasonable narrative as to why you did so, without going to jail for threatening someone who turned out to just have poor social skills. From what I know of the event in the OP I would no bill the lady too, but it's better if you don't have to get to that point.

"According to our research of Tennessee and other state lists there were 153 registered sex offenders living in Murfreesboro, Tennessee as of November 11, 2015. The ratio of number of residents in Murfreesboro to the number of sex offenders is 745 to 1."

http://www.click2houston.com/news/woman ... t/36311876

Five days ago a nurse in a Galveston Walmart parking lot was loading groceries when a man approached her and robbed and injured her. Sound familiar.

Maybe the officers at the scene had never Googled woman attacked in Walmart parking lot as I could list these until the cows come home.

Maybe the officers were worried about their jobs, since obviously the man who needed a "light" seemed to want to make a big deal about something he initiated.

Well I've always heard the first person to call the cops gets the larger benefit of doubt from the police... Doesn't make it right but does seem how it often plays out.

These one off stories like this never seem to have any follow up, so unless this gets national attention, I doubt we'll get to see the outcome. My hope is she gets off with an apology, but I doubt it.

edit: I meant I doubt she gets off with an apology... I suspect there is a good chance this doesn't go to court or no bills if it does.

"Police said he never got closer than 10 feet"

That's close enough to be an imminent threat per the often-mentioned 21-foot rule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill

Charles L. Cotton wrote:"I only wanted a light!" Sorry sport, I'm not buying it. If I was the responding LEO, I would have advised the complainant to buy a lighter.

Chas.

How many people still carry lighters? Chances are these days if you walk up to a random person asking for a light they wont have one.

rp_photo wrote:"Police said he never got closer than 10 feet"

That's close enough to be an imminent threat per the often-mentioned 21-foot rule:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tueller_Drill

10 feet to me is just about the last chance to do anything.

I have been approached in parking lots for money multiple times, and two of them were at night. I am wiser now and won't let them get that close anymore. You never know when they might pull a knife or gun.

This guy may have been up to no good, and it's not like you ever get all the info from the press, but walking within 10 feet of someone is just not cause to display a weapon. "He scared me" isn't a reason either. What scared you? What actions made you feel he was a threat. Was there some reason he might think she had a lighter or, having just bought cigarettes at the Walmart, was he just walking to his car asking everyone he saw. I have had random people ask me for a light and I have yet to respond by pulling a gun. Just saying that it sounds strange to me.

What is equally strange is that if he had just bought cigarettes, why didn't he also buy a lighter, or at least a 2-cent book of matches?

Something stinks and it's not coming from the lady's direction.

Well, she's alive and in better circumstances, even charged, than she might have ended up otherwise, but it could have been just what it seemed. Some poor addict hurting for nicotine.

In Coolidge a year or two back, young males approached houses with people out on the front porch and followed a specific choreography. They would ask for a light, get rebuffed, and turn to walk back to the street. I think this was to give them a last look for police or witnesses. Then, they would turn back to face the house, draw their weapons, and open fire. But you can't defensively draw a gun just because somebody says "thanks" and turns away.