Good Guy with a Gun #163: Jonesboro, AR
Two people committed “gun violence” that night. Only one was justified. | Original incident: April 12, 2024
These posts are based on our Good Guy with a Gun calendar. Today’s post is essentially the same as the calendar version.
Erratum: The calendar entry showed AK (Alaska) rather than AR (Arkansas).
A gun isn’t magical. It won’t ensure that you’ll remain uninjured when you defend yourself. But many people would rather risk injury than remain helpless in the face of crime.
In this case, the crime was armed robbery: Lamarion Bailey, 18, tried to rob 23-year-old Damariantae Russell at gunpoint outside the Race Street Market in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Russell didn’t submit. We don’t have much more detail — a car with bullet holes, Bailey found dead by police who arrived shortly after the shooting, and Russell appearing at the hospital with gunshot wounds — but we do know that the Jonesboro PD said that Russell was acting in self-defense in the ensuing exchange of gunfire.
Sources
Primary source
The Jonesboro PD had an initial report on Facebook and an update on Facebook when they determined it was self-defense.
News sources
Several sources documented this incident before the police cleared Russell. They include: Imboden Live, The Sun and one of two stories mentioned in Northeast Arkansas News.
Outlets that covered the story when self-defense had been determined included NEA [Northeast Arkansas] Report (they posted, and then updated in place — thanks, folks), The Fox 104.9, and KAIT 8 (with 35-second on-air clip).
The Arkansas Democrat Gazette had an article behind a paywall that I didn’t break.
I saw no 2A / specialist coverage of this incident.