It’s a classic case of doing the wrong thing for the right reasons.
On September 19 at 10:40 a.m., Nova Scotia RCMP report, a 19-year-old Yarmouth man saw another man place a small female child into the trunk of his car and walk away.
This young man was horrified, and rightfully so.
Can you even imagine the level of depravity it takes to lock a small child in the trunk of a car?
The young man called the RCMP to report the blatant child abuse he witnessed, just as I would hope any human being would do in the same circumstances.
When the other man, let’s call him the child abuser, came out of the store a few minutes later, retrieved the girl from the trunk and placed her in the back seat, the 19-year-old witness, albeit with the best of intentions, did something really dumb.
He grabbed a firearm from his vehicle and used it to try and stop the child abuser from leaving the scene. He was not successful.
The child abuser fled and no shots were fired.
The RCMP news report did not say whether the firearm was loaded or not.
This 19-year-old man now faces the following criminal charges for attempting to do what most people would define as “the right thing”:
- Careless Use of a Firearm
- Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
- Using a Firearm in the Commission of an Offence
In our fear-fueled world, waving a firearm in public is guaranteed to elicit a negative response from police. That’s a fundamental reality we must face, and it’s really easy – with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, of course – to see where this young man went wrong.
But here’s an uncomfortable question:
What would I do in those same circumstances?
At a minimum, I would try to open the trunk and free the child. While doing that, I would talk to the little girl and see if she is okay.
If successful, I would remove the girl from the trunk and make sure she’s removed from the trunk and kept safe.
If unsuccessful, I would photograph the car, its licence plates and send them all to the police. Immediately.
And when this asshat came out of the store I would confront him. But not with a gun. That escalation never ends well for the person holding the gun, no matter how pure our intentions.
I would make sure I’m still on the phone with 9-1-1 so they can hear the entire conversation. This gives police additional evidence to present at trial, if nothing else.
And when the idiot refuses to remain until police show up, I would stand in front of his vehicle and film him attempting to run me down in his attempt to flee the scene of his crime.
Can’t hurt to add attempted murder to his list of pending criminal charges, right?
But I have the benefit of decades more knowledge and experience about dealing with police and guns than this young man so, even at its very best, my comparison is grossly unfair.
A Medal, not a Criminal Record
I do hope this young man gets an excellent lawyer and an equally excellent judge.
He doesn’t deserve a criminal record and prison time for trying to save a young girl’s life.
He deserves a medal for his bravery and courage to do the right thing.
Yes, even though he chose the wrong way to go about it.
The entire event captured on video surveillance cameras, so hopefully this evidence will help him win an acquittal on all charges.
One Good Thing
One good thing came out of this confrontation. The 33-year-old who locked a little girl in the trunk of his car was located by police and arrested.
The 33-year-old Yarmouth man, identified only as someone “known to” the little girl, faces these criminal charges:
- Criminal Negligence
- Abandonment
- Forcible Confinement
One can only pray the penalties for these criminal charges are slightly more onerous than the consequences he faces, I hope, from the mother of the little girl he locked in his trunk.
I think scratching this idiot’s eyes out with her fingernails while she screams, “How DARE you lock my baby in the trunk!” over and over is a fitting punishment.
How about you?
Ever since PET and Goyer turned the Justice System upside down, it has been all downhill.
On October 7, 1971, Solicitor General Jean Pierre Goyer, Trudeau’s Solicitor General, announced in the House of Commons: “…we have decided from now on to stress the rehabilitation of individuals rather than protection of society.” The key part of that declaration being “… rather than protection of society.” – blatant destruction of Canada;s Justice System.
We see the results….
Pulling a gun in attempt to intimidate is, as you said, stupid. (IIRC you said, “dumb”, but the vocally challenged don’t like that term used as a euphemism for “stupid”).
People who’ve been in situations, or as Jeff Cooper said, “have seen the elephant”, can tell whether or not the person who’s drawn down on them will pull the trigger.
Folks I’ve met who’ve actually had to use guns said you never draw a gun unless you’re going to use it. Reminds me of the Gurkhas, who must draw blood when they draw their kukris.
I agree with your analysis.
We should be giving young people age appropriate defensive training starting in elementary school. In high school get them into Krav Maga style martial arts and give them real-world scenario training.
Then when something like this happens, the young hero will have better mental tools to use.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the judge at his trial would sentence him to attend police college. That way he could get a proper education on use of force, detainment and the laws surrounding them.
Who knows maybe he would choose a career in policing.
He certainly has the right heart for it.
Love that option, Mike. That would be a phenomenal result given, as you say, this young man has the right heart for it.
“And when this asshat came out of the store I would confront him. But not with a gun. That escalation never ends well for the person holding the gun, no matter how pure our intentions.”
Defense of life is not dumb or stupid. Our country’s laws are dumb and stupid.
He had a gun, so he used the tools he had at the time.
In a sane world he would have got a Thank You for doing the right thing.
Denis, I never said defense of life was dumb or stupid. I said pulling a gun in public, no matter how good the reason, doesn’t end well for the person holding the gun. Sadly, this case proves the point.
I’m extremely curious to see how this case is resolved through the courts. I love Mike Ackermann’s thought… that the judge sentence this young man to attend police college. That would be a wonderful resolution, given his desire to do the right thing.