• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The K-Var ArmoryThe K-Var Armory

The Largest Supplier of Firearms, Gun Parts, & Accessories Online

  • Shop K-Var
  • News
    • Industry
    • Politics
    • Second Amendment
    • Self Defense
    • Comics
  • Reviews
    • Anything AK
    • Anything AR
    • Gear
    • Pistols
    • Rifles
    • Shotguns
  • Newsletter

Armed Good Guys: ‘I Don’t Want to Die This Way’

October 10, 2018 by David Dolbee 3 Comments

News stories of civilian self-defense seldom receive adequate media coverage. After all, armed good guys stopping violent felons does not make headlines like the lives of innocents being taken. Bias and agendas play their part, but the media does not cover an event that did not happen, such as a case where a good guy stopped a violent event before it it resulted in the loss of innocent life. However, these are exactly the type of stories we need to highlight to educate non gun owners before they head to the voting booth.

‘I don’t want to die this way’: Starbucks clerk relives attack after customer shoots assailant, police say

Shelby Hamilton’s first thought as she lay bruised and bleeding on the ground of a Millcreek, UT Starbucks was that she didn’t want to die this way. It would be a painful way to go.

Benjamin Overall Mugshot armed good guys
Benjamin Overall poses for a mugshot in 2017. Overall was again taken into custody by police outside a Millcreek Starbucks Thursday morning, police said. (Salt Lake County Sheriff)

It all began while Hamilton was working an early morning shift at the coffee shop near 3900 South and 900 East Thursday morning. Hamilton was standing behind the counter when a “haggard-looking” man entered, she said.

Instead of coming to the register to order, the man came behind the counter and asked Hamilton if she knew who he was. When she replied that she didn’t, he became angry and began beating her with his fists, she said.

“It was all just kind of random. I didn’t really know him. … He just came in the door and hit me in the back of the head from behind,” Hamilton told KSL.com.

She backed up and tried to put distance between herself and the man, but once she reached the end of the counter, she was trapped — and he continued hitting her. Hamilton’s co-workers, however, remained frozen, unsure what to do, she said.

“I started to think why no one was helping me, ‘cause he was only hitting me, and I felt kind of angry for a moment,” she said.

Before Hamilton had much time to ponder the question, however, the man picked up a metal supply basket and hit her on the side of the head. Hamilton crumpled, and the man continued kicking her in the back. The only thought left in her mind: “I don’t want to die this way.”

As soon as she fell to the ground, however, her co-workers ran out the door and began screaming for help. The next thing Hamilton knew, the man had stopped beating her and gone back around the counter.

Soon after, she heard a gunshot.

“The first thought in my head was that this had turned into a shooting,” she said. “My second thought was … he just shot my friends, and my third thought was … he’s going to come back here and shoot me.”

Hamilton said she crawled under the counter to hide from the would-be shooter, but it was the police that found her soon after. It was then she overheard on one of the officers’ radios that her attacker had been shot by a customer.

“My honest thought? I just hoped that he was dead,” she said.

Unified Police Lt. Ken Hansen confirmed later that the attacker was shot by a man in his late 60s who saw what was happening while visiting the shop for his morning coffee. The customer drew the man’s attention, and the attacker began to approach him.

As he came closer, the customer pulled out a gun and shot the attacker once in the chest, Hansen said. The man then stumbled out of the store.

Police arrived shortly after and used a Taser to take Benjamin Overall, 37, into custody. They then realized that Overall had been shot and summoned medical help for both Hamilton and Overall, Hansen said. Police believe Overall may have mental health issues, Hansen added.

Overall was transported to a hospital in serious condition — though he has since been upgraded to satisfactory. Hamilton was transported in fair condition, though she’s since been released — albeit with a black eye, swollen face, cuts and bruises covering her hands and back.

Hamilton is grateful, however, that she’s alive. And especially grateful for the man with a gun who she said is a frequent customer.

“I know his drink,” she said. “He comes in every morning and gets a large, blonde coffee in his personal cup. He’s always been very sweet. He’s always been very patient.”

Hamilton was initially surprised, however, when she heard he had shot the attacker.

“I never would have expected that from him,” she said. “He just seemed like a very meek guy. So I was surprised, but also very grateful. I was very grateful that he was there. And I was glad it was somebody we see regularly so that hopefully, in the future, I can thank him.”

The customer has a concealed carry permit, Hansen said, and, though he doesn’t know for sure if the customer will face charges, he believes the shooting can be interpreted as self-defense. The customer is being “very cooperative” with police, Hansen added.

“We are thankful all partners (employees) and customers are safe after going through such a terrifying experience,” Starbucks said in an emailed statement. “Our focus is on supporting our partners at this time. We are grateful local authorities were there to help and would direct any further questions their way.”

In 2013, Starbucks made a request that customers not bring firearms into its stores or outdoor eating areas, but the company specified that it was a request and not an outright ban.

As for Hamilton, she’s just happy someone was there.

“I’m just really grateful to be alive, and I’m thankful for everyone who was there to help me,” she said.


Situational Awareness (and a Gun) Matter

Police responded to a reporter of a shooting just after 5 p.m. at a Walmart Supercenter in Tumwater Sunday night, about 65 miles south of Seattle Washington.

The Tumwater Police Department says that officers originally responded to a report of a car driving in the wrong direction near Israel Road and Tyee Drive, but as the officers were in route they were dispatched to reports of a carjacking nearby with shots fired.

Officers arrived to the corner of Israel Road and Tyee Drive and found a 16-year-old male who suffered non-life threatening injuries. Police then located the 16-year-old’s stolen car in the Walmart parking lot at 5900 Littlerock Rd SW in Tumwater.

Around 5:30 p.m., Thurston County Dispatch began receiving calls of shots fired “in or around the Tumwater Walmart and parking lot,” according to police.

The suspect from the earlier carjacking of the 16-year-old entered the Walmart store. No customers or employees inside the store were injured. Police say the suspect then exited the store and attempted to carjack another car in the parking lot, shooting a man in that car in the process. The man was treated for gunshot wounds and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he remains in critical condition.

The man’s son told KIRO 7 that his dad, Ricky Fievez, was that victim. He said his dad is “currently paralyzed from the neck down due to shrapnel in his spine.”

Police say the suspect then attempting another carjacking in the Walmart parking lot, and was approached by two armed civilians. One of the armed civilians shot the suspect, and the suspect died at the scene. The suspect has been identified by police as Tim Day, a 44-year old white man from McCleary, Washington.

Do you have a story of armed good guys with guns that shows the importance of firearm ownership for self-defense? Share it in the comment section.


Sign up for K-Var’s weekly newsletter and discounts here.

Filed Under: Self Defense Tagged With: Armed Good Guys, Utah, Washington

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Robert Rixford says

    October 13, 2018 at 1:08 pm

    The Starbucks worker said something that I wish had been emphasized more in the write-up:
    She said, he’s a regular customer and has always seemed so meek and polite (or, words to that effect).

    I wish someone had added a comment that law-abiding concealed carrier is most likely NOT going to be a fire and brimstone spouting ‘Rambo’-type; but, a peaceable, likable, patient individual who will NOT cause you any trouble or harm but will be there and ready to help if you need it.

    How many people do you encounter every day that would fit that description? . . . you’ll probably never know! . . . Hopefully you’ll never have need for their assistance. . . Are these the people you feel our politicians need to be writing new laws to regulate?!

    Reply
  2. PCBE says

    October 15, 2018 at 6:23 pm

    It’s not hard to understand. Gun laws penalize honest citizens only,because criminals don’t obey laws anyway.

    Reply
  3. Brian says

    October 16, 2018 at 6:09 am

    Just an observation:
    On the Walmart story, the writer mentions “The suspect has been identified by police as Tim Day, a 44-year old white man from McCleary, Washington.”
    Had the suspect been a black man or any other flavor, would the author also have mentioned that fact?

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to the Muzzle Flash – The K-Var Armory Official Newsletter!

* Required field
Marketing permission: I give my consent to to be in touch with me via email using the information I have provided in this form for the purpose of news, updates and marketing.

Recent Posts

  • Long Range Shooting 3
  • K-Var’s 180-Day Layaway Program: Own Your Dream Firearm, Interest-Free!
  • Inside FAIR: Why Arsenal Inc. Supports the Trade Group That Keeps Our Industry on Track
  • Bug Out Bag!
  • The Clock is Ticking: Why Imported Rifles Deserve Your Attention Now
Gun Broker Auctions

Archives

  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017

Categories

  • 1911
  • Accessories
  • Ammunition
  • Anything AK
  • Anything AR
  • Arex
  • Arsenal
  • Blades
  • Browning
  • Cartridges
  • Charter Arms
  • Colt
  • Comics
  • Conservation
  • Dan Wesson
  • Deer
  • Derringer
  • Gear
  • Glock
  • Hearing Protection
  • Holsters
  • How To
  • How-To
  • Hunting
  • Industry
  • Kahr
  • Kel-Tec
  • Lasers
  • News
  • NFA
  • Night Vision
  • North American Arms
  • Op-ed
  • Optics
  • Optics
  • Pistols
  • Politics
  • Predator
  • Product Recall Notice
  • Red Dot
  • Reloading
  • Reviews
  • Revolvers
  • Rifles
  • Rimfire
  • Rock Island Armory
  • Rossi
  • Ruger
  • Ruger
  • Savage
  • Second Amendment
  • Self Defense
  • Shotguns
  • SIG Sauer
  • Small Game
  • Smith and Wesson
  • Springfield
  • Tactics
  • Taurus
  • Thermal
  • Turkey
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • Walther
  • Waterfowling
  • Comics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • About
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2025 · K-Var Corp · Log in