This is a fact of gun ownership: one day, you may be put into a scenario where you’re forced to defend yourself and take the life of another human being. While it may be tough to kill another person, pulling the trigger doesn’t automatically make you a monster. One store clerk in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is proof of that.
According to reports, 29-year-old Ramon Sedillo and 17-year-old Daryl Martinez burst into the Full Spectrum Smoke Shop and pointed a gun at the store clerk on Oct. 22. The police report that Sedillo was fresh out of jail and that he was a known street and prison gang member. His criminal record also included a homicide charge.
The smoke shop store clerk had no way of knowing Sedillo’s criminal record, but he didn’t need to take a look at Sedillo’s rap sheet to know that he was in trouble. Albuquerque Police Department officer Robert Gibbs described the event, “When Mr. Sedillo walked in, the first thing he did was hold the gun to the clerk’s face.”
Luckily, the store clerk was able to turn the tables on the gun-toting thief. The clerk managed to grab his own firearm and opened fire on the robbers, striking Sedillo and badly wounding Martinez.
Martinez was able to escape, but he checked himself into a hospital several hours later with bullet wounds to the abdomen and arm. Once Martinez is released, the police will charge him with armed robbery, conspiracy and probation violation. Sedillo wasn’t so lucky; he died as a result of the injuries.
Does that make the store clerk a cold-blooded killer? Not hardly. We can all agree that he acted in justifiable self-defense, and based on reports it’s clear that taking a life weighed heavily on the clerk.
Officer Gibbs added, “The words that came out of (the store clerk’s) mouth, and it was very touching to the homicide detectives, is that he was more concerned about Mr. Sedillo’s family and if he had kids; that was his main concern and he got very visibly upset.”
It’s hard to gauge how a person will react after shooting another human being. Some people might be disturbed by it, while others will sleep easy knowing that they acted in justifiable self-defense. If anything, word of encouragement from the peace might help the store clerk get past the event. They believe that the clerk acted entirely in self-defense.
What about our audience of gun owners out there? Assuming that you shoot and kill another person justifiable self-defense, what do you think your reaction would be?
