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Clackamas man, armed, confronts mall shooter
PORTLAND — Nick Meli is emotionally drained. The 22-year-old was at Clackamas Town Center with a friend and her baby when a masked man opened fire.
“I heard three shots and turned and looked at Casey and said, ‘are you serious?,’” he said.
The friend and baby hit the floor. Meli, who has a concealed carry permit, positioned himself behind a pillar.
“He was working on his rifle,” said Meli. ”He kept pulling the charging handle and hitting the side.”
The break in gunfire allowed Meli to pull out his own gun, but he never took his eyes off the shooter.
“As I was going down to pull, I saw someone in the back of the Charlotte move, and I knew if I fired and missed, I could hit them,” he said.
Meli took cover inside a nearby store. He never pulled the trigger. He stands by that decision.
“I’m not beating myself up cause I didn’t shoot him,” said Meli. “I know after he saw me, I think the last shot he fired was the one he used on himself.”
The gunman was dead, but not before taking two innocent lives with him and taking the innocence of everyone else.
“I don’t ever want to see anyone that way ever,” said Meli. “It just bothers me.”
h/t RWF
Unruly Refugee
December 17th, 2012
This is evidence that people with carry permits don’t go all nuts into a shooting frenzy, as the leftist gun-grabbers would like to propagandize. The young man, Meli, knew that he didn’t have a clear shot and he recognized the fact that there were innocents in his line of fire, so he didn’t take the shot.
Not being there, I can’t say anything else except that if the shooters gun was jammed, that would be the perfect time to rush him or to get to an area with a safer line of fire and take him out.
Only nuts and criminals will have guns when the law-abiding citizens are forced to give up theirs. But, I don’t know, ….. it seems like it would be more law-abiding to me to not ever give them up if you never plan on using them for evil purposes, only to protect against evil. To take them from law-abiding citizens would be evil.
MaryfromMarin
December 17th, 2012
Only partially O/T:
http://www.examiner.com/article/libor-scandal-grows-as-the-fathers-of-two-mass-murderers-were-to-testify
Frosteetoes
December 17th, 2012
Hi MaryfromMarin…I saw that earlier too but couldn’t find any connections when I researched myself. I first heard it on this video where he discusses possibly 2-3 shooters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_fI0hm1dqY
.
Frosteetoes
December 17th, 2012
These are the stories that need to get out there. People saving lives because of guns.
Joe
December 17th, 2012
No telling how many lives you saved, Mr. Meli. Thank you. We need more like you.
spymyeyes
December 17th, 2012
One of the MOST important rules in handiling/useing firearms is:
You must KNOW what is BEHIND your target because YOU are responsible for EVERY bullet you send down range.
Anyone who has taken instructions on firearm use is taught this and most learn this simple fact at an early age when they play with slingshots & BB guns.
Hats off to NICK for his keeping cool and following the rules that might just have saved innocent life by NOT firing his weapon!