On October 10, Breitbart News reported that a concealed carry permit holder witnessed an armed robbery in progress at a Charleston, South Carolina, Waffle House and intervened by shooting and fatally wounding the suspect.
The incident occurred around 4:30 a.m.
Later in the day, the deceased suspect was identified as 19-year-old Joshua Jermaine Davis, and the citizen with the concealed carry permit was identified as 34-year-old Kenneth Rivers. The Post and Courier reports that Rivers works security with his brother at “an area nightclub” and that Rivers was sitting in his car talking to his brother on the phone when he saw Davis running out of the restaurant with the cash register drawer.
He ordered Davis to stop. But instead, the police report said, “Davis raised his gun and fired.” So Rivers returned fire, striking Davis “in the abdomen near the groin.” Police arrived to find Davis lying in the restaurant lobby with a cash register drawer lying by him.
An officer responding to the scene praised the actions of the concealed permit holder, and the Post and Courier reported that a Waffle House employee commented on the concealed permit holder’s actions by saying, “He saved us, that’s what he did.”
Then came October 12, and Waffle House released a statement in which they reaffirmed their gun-free policies and appeared to overlook the Good Samaritan’s concealed carry permit, focusing instead on his role as security for a nightclub. Live5News published the Waffle House statement:
We are very fortunate that no associate or customer were harmed in this tragic incident. It is Waffle House, Inc., policy not to allow firearms with the exception of law enforcement officers, including security guards. It is our understanding that the customer involved was an off duty security guard who was carrying his firearm and the incident occurred outside the restaurant.
We are well aware that different people and businesses have varying opinions regarding this issue, and we respect the right of all to have different opinions. However, we continue to believe this is the best policy for the safety of our customers and associates.
We are very thankful that no other customers or associates were hurt and will continue to work with local law enforcement as they investigate this matter.
It is interesting to note that a Waffle House in Nicholasville, Kentucky, took the same tact after refusing to serve a uniformed National Guard soldier on September 27 because he was wearing a holstered gun on his hip. And instead of apologizing for the incident, the Nicholasville Waffle House released a statement reaffirming their gun-free policy.
The statement said: “For many years, we have had a ‘No Firearms’ policy in place in our restaurants. We continue to believe this is the best policy for the safety of our customers and associates.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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