Good Guy with a Gun #170: Muncie, IN
Some judicious gun violence stopped some vicious pipe wrench violence. | Original incident: April 19, 2024
These posts are based on our Good Guy with a Gun calendar. Today’s post is significantly updated from the calendar version.
KT Pawn in Muncie opens at 9:00 AM most days. On this particular Friday morning in April, it had only been open for about 15 minutes when a 60-year-old man entered the store — muttering to himself — and took a steel pipe wrench from a basket there.
Then he walked behind the counter and hit an employee in the face with it. Pain, chipped teeth, likely permanent damage to his face, and blood: The employee kept it together enough to run into the back room to get a gun.
Every second counted, because then the man found a customer and hit him smack in the back of the head. He swung again and missed. His target fell. The man was still swinging — fortunately missing the customer’s head, but smashing the wrench into his legs — when the employee came out with the gun and shot him.
All three men went to the hospital, where the attacker was listed in serious condition and the two victims were listed as stable.
Everything worked as it should: The alarm company called 911 and the police responded promptly. Nevertheless, the first line of self-defense was the most important when seconds counted.
Sammy L. Johnson was charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, and intimidation.
Errata
The calendar version of this story says that two employees were attacked, which is consistent with most of the early reporting. Only a later article from Fox 59 / CBS 4 untangles the fact that there was an employee and a customer involved.
Similarly, the “blunt instrument” of early stories is identified as a pipe wrench in the Fox 59 / CBS 4 article. Unfortunately, that article conflicts with itself by also calling it a box wrench, so I’m just guessing here. It was some kind of wrench, at any rate.
Sources
Local news
The best summary is that Fox 59 / CBS 4 article. It tells the complete story that the others do, while correcting and adding to them.
WTHR 13 and the Star Press also covered the story early on, though I see no updates. Here’s a video of WTHR’s broadcast — something I usually can’t post because the stories aren’t on (or aren’t findable on) YouTube.
Specialist 2A news
Sean Holt covered the story for USACarry.
"Employee shoots, seriously injures customer . . ." I'm not sure I'd call the guy a "customer" since all he did was attack people . . . Good for the employee having the presence of mind to act after being so viciously attacked.