On Christmas Eve in 2002, I took off work early to stop by the local Home Depot and buy my wife a new coffee pot for Christmas. Since I work in a relatively high crime area in downtown Phoenix, I normally carry a S&W Model 5904 9mm with me to work most days. I was carrying on that day.
There were quite a few people doing last minute shopping when I arrived at the Home Depot near my home. I found a parking spot on the north side of the parking lot along the chain link fence surrounding their Christmas tree lot. The fence had nylon windbreak fabric attached to it to which made my car somewhat secluded from view unless you were parked in the outer area of the parking lot. For those of you unfamiliar with Home Depot's store layout, you enter the store on one end of the building and exit at the other so, one way or the other you have to walk past all of the merchandise they have in front of the store. I had a pretty good walk since I was parked near the entrance on the north end.
After nabbing the last coffee pot they had in stock and paying for it, I exited the store on the south end and started the hike across the parking lot toward my car. As I crossed the aisles in the parking lot, I noticed two guys walking toward the entrance to the store talking. As I passed them, out of the corner of my eye I noticed the man on the left turned left (away from the store). Since I am a naturally a somewhat susicious, and very aware, person it struck me as odd, but I continued on my way toward my car. As I walked, I continued to watch the person without making it obvious. I moved into the parking area, weaving through a couple of cars to see his reaction. His movements seemed to suggest he was attempting to intercept me somewhere along my path. My alarms were going off that something was indeed being planned for me. I reached in my pocket for my car key/remote entry and got ready to unlock the door with the remote. One last look revealed that he was still a ways behind me but still coming in my direction. I hit the remote to unlock the door, opened it, got in and closed the door, tossing the coffee pot in the floor of my car and reaching in my canvas briefcase for my handgun. As I pulled it from the case, the door of my car opened, I swung the pistol to the opening between the door and the doorjam and the guy found himself with my Smith about 2" from his chest. His left hand was still on the door handle, his right in his coat pocket. For what seemed like an eternity, he looked at the barrel and I looked at the third button on his shirt. A round was in the chamber, the safety came off as the barrel was coming onto target and my finger had assumed it's position just barely touching the trigger. My mind was processing what had and what was about to happen with amazing clarity. Time seemed to have stopped. I knew, with absolute certainty what my course of action was going to be. If the hand in his pocket moved AT ALL or he made ANY aggressive movement, I was going to send him to meet his maker.
After a few seconds, our eyes met, he took a step backward, removing his hand from my car door and he ran. I sat in my car, barrel still on the spot that his shirt button had occupied for a few more seconds before moving my finger outside the trigger guard, pushing the safety back on and putting the gun down in my lap. With the mental clarity and calmness subsiding it never even occured to me to follow or chase him or otherwise see where he was going. I simply set there for about five minutes allowing my heart to slow down to a more normal rate and then left for home. It occured to me when I pulled into the driveway that I probably should have called the police.
Several things surprised me after it was all over. The most notable was the "zone" that my mind seemed to have entered as the pistol came out of the case. The adrenelin rush that I was experiencing a few seconds earlier seemed to be gone and as time slowed, it seemed that I had all the time in the world to decide what I was going to do. His actions in opening the door and mine of getting on target seemed distinctly choreographed or rehearsed. It was almost as if I was watching a movie. In the space of no more than a couple of seconds, I had completely reviewed what had taken place and decided his fate if he made the wrong decision. Having gone through the police academy many years earlier as a reserve police officer and being an observant person, you would think I could have described the person in some level of detail. I couldn't, except for the button. It was a round, cream-colored button with four holes. It had been hand sewn on by someone that wasn't very good at sewing. He was a male. He was of mexican descent. He could run fast. That is the best decription that I can come up with. Go figure.
Did he believe me to be a non-threatening businessman that was not likely to be armed? An easy mark to rob? Or carjack? Or did he just want the coffee pot? I don't know what, exactly, his intentions were, but I have to give him credit for ultimately making the right decision. I'm glad I didn't have to shoot, but he will never know how close I came....
There were quite a few people doing last minute shopping when I arrived at the Home Depot near my home. I found a parking spot on the north side of the parking lot along the chain link fence surrounding their Christmas tree lot. The fence had nylon windbreak fabric attached to it to which made my car somewhat secluded from view unless you were parked in the outer area of the parking lot. For those of you unfamiliar with Home Depot's store layout, you enter the store on one end of the building and exit at the other so, one way or the other you have to walk past all of the merchandise they have in front of the store. I had a pretty good walk since I was parked near the entrance on the north end.
After nabbing the last coffee pot they had in stock and paying for it, I exited the store on the south end and started the hike across the parking lot toward my car. As I crossed the aisles in the parking lot, I noticed two guys walking toward the entrance to the store talking. As I passed them, out of the corner of my eye I noticed the man on the left turned left (away from the store). Since I am a naturally a somewhat susicious, and very aware, person it struck me as odd, but I continued on my way toward my car. As I walked, I continued to watch the person without making it obvious. I moved into the parking area, weaving through a couple of cars to see his reaction. His movements seemed to suggest he was attempting to intercept me somewhere along my path. My alarms were going off that something was indeed being planned for me. I reached in my pocket for my car key/remote entry and got ready to unlock the door with the remote. One last look revealed that he was still a ways behind me but still coming in my direction. I hit the remote to unlock the door, opened it, got in and closed the door, tossing the coffee pot in the floor of my car and reaching in my canvas briefcase for my handgun. As I pulled it from the case, the door of my car opened, I swung the pistol to the opening between the door and the doorjam and the guy found himself with my Smith about 2" from his chest. His left hand was still on the door handle, his right in his coat pocket. For what seemed like an eternity, he looked at the barrel and I looked at the third button on his shirt. A round was in the chamber, the safety came off as the barrel was coming onto target and my finger had assumed it's position just barely touching the trigger. My mind was processing what had and what was about to happen with amazing clarity. Time seemed to have stopped. I knew, with absolute certainty what my course of action was going to be. If the hand in his pocket moved AT ALL or he made ANY aggressive movement, I was going to send him to meet his maker.
After a few seconds, our eyes met, he took a step backward, removing his hand from my car door and he ran. I sat in my car, barrel still on the spot that his shirt button had occupied for a few more seconds before moving my finger outside the trigger guard, pushing the safety back on and putting the gun down in my lap. With the mental clarity and calmness subsiding it never even occured to me to follow or chase him or otherwise see where he was going. I simply set there for about five minutes allowing my heart to slow down to a more normal rate and then left for home. It occured to me when I pulled into the driveway that I probably should have called the police.
Several things surprised me after it was all over. The most notable was the "zone" that my mind seemed to have entered as the pistol came out of the case. The adrenelin rush that I was experiencing a few seconds earlier seemed to be gone and as time slowed, it seemed that I had all the time in the world to decide what I was going to do. His actions in opening the door and mine of getting on target seemed distinctly choreographed or rehearsed. It was almost as if I was watching a movie. In the space of no more than a couple of seconds, I had completely reviewed what had taken place and decided his fate if he made the wrong decision. Having gone through the police academy many years earlier as a reserve police officer and being an observant person, you would think I could have described the person in some level of detail. I couldn't, except for the button. It was a round, cream-colored button with four holes. It had been hand sewn on by someone that wasn't very good at sewing. He was a male. He was of mexican descent. He could run fast. That is the best decription that I can come up with. Go figure.
Did he believe me to be a non-threatening businessman that was not likely to be armed? An easy mark to rob? Or carjack? Or did he just want the coffee pot? I don't know what, exactly, his intentions were, but I have to give him credit for ultimately making the right decision. I'm glad I didn't have to shoot, but he will never know how close I came....