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.
Self Defense in Texas: 22LR Single Shot Beats AR-15 and .40 Cal
Arizona – The gunfight happened in the early morning hours of 17 August 2018. The location was 867 Bootlegger Lane in Yoakum, Texas. Yoakum is a small town in Texas, about halfway between San Antonio and Houston.
Investigators documented 11 bullet holes made by a .223-caliber rifle and two from a .40-caliber pistol. An AR-15 and .40-caliber pistol were found near Martinez’s body along with 15 rifle and 12 pistol casings.
There was “bad blood” between Dakota Wayne Kirkman, 19, and Manuel Martinez III, 36. The men lived about 22 miles apart. Yoakum is in DeWitt County, Texas. Kirkman and his girlfriend lived in Hallettsville in Lavaca County, Texas.
Dakota did not want his live-in girlfriend to hang around Martinez and his wife. His girlfriend, Martinez, and Martinez’s wife were at the Martinez’s house when Kirkman came to bring his girlfriend home. Kirkman arrived in his truck. He had a single shot .22 rifle and one cartridge, loaded in the chamber.
Kirkman and Martinez got into a verbal altercation. The Sheriff reported that alcohol was involved.
The altercation escalated into a gunfight. Cartridge cases found at the scene indicated that Martinez fired 15 shots from an AR-15-type rifle and 12 shots from a .40 caliber pistol.
Most of the action seems to have happened while Kirkman was in or around his truck. 13 bullet holes were found in the truck. 11 of the bullet holes were from .223 cartridges. Two of the bullet holes were from a .40 caliber pistol.
Kirkman is recorded as firing one shot from his single shot .22 caliber rifle. The shot struck Martinez in the chest, killing him.
When law enforcement made it to the location, a man was found lying in the front yard with an apparent gunshot wound. The initial investigation indicated an ongoing tension between the deceased and the alleged shooter. The murder weapon was a .22 rifle.
DeWitt County Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1, Peggy Mayer was called at 3:08 a.m. and later announced Martinez dead at the scene.
On October 11, 2018, a grand jury found Dakota Wayne Kirkman not guilty of the shooting which seems to have been justified by reason of self-defense.
“This is a tragic loss of life, and our hearts go out to Martinez’s family,” DeWitt County Sheriff Carl Bowen said in a press release.
According to Bowen, there was an altercation and an exchange of gunfire between two men. Kirkman left the location on Bootlegger Lane with his girlfriend and ended up at their home at 32 Private Road 4006 in Hallettsville.
Kirkman was taken into custody without incident.
Dakota Kirkman was held at the DeWitt County jail for 55 days. Bail was set at $500,000.
On October 11, 2018, the grand jury found Kirkman to have been justified by reason of self-defense. From victoriaadvocate.com:
Investigators documented 11 bullet holes made by a .223-caliber rifle and two from a .40-caliber pistol. An AR-15 and .40-caliber pistol were found near Martinez’s body along with 15 rifle and 12 pistol casings. One of the bullets passed through the truck’s frame near the driver’s seat belt fastener, said Lassmann, who added if Kirkman had not been crouching in his seat, he likely would have been shot.
“(Kirkman) must have been scared to death,” Lassmann said.
The number of bullets fired by Martinez stood in stark contrast to the single, fatal shot from Kirkman’s antique, bolt-action .22-caliber rifle. Additionally, evidence showed Kirkman went to the home on Bootlegger Lane with only a single round chambered in his rifle and no other ammo in his vehicle.
That contrast further emphasized the likelihood that Kirkman acted in self-defense, Lassmann said.
Video: Father With Kids at McDonald’s Shoots and Kills Masked Gunman
Birmingham, Alabama — A father and one of his two sons are recovering after being shot during an attempted robbery at a Birmingham-area McDonald’s.
As the father and two sons were let out of the store by an employee at around 10:45 PM, a masked gunman opened fire, injuring the father and one of the sons.
But the father fired back, wounding and ultimately killing the masked gunman.
Here’s a local news report from the scene.
Here’s how it all went down according to a story on CBSNews.com:
“An father dining with his children at McDonald’s in Birmingham, Alabama, fatally shot a masked man who entered the fast food restaurant and opened fire, CBS affiliate WIAT reports.
Birmingham Police responded to the McDonald’s at around 10:45 p.m. Sunday after receiving reports that multiple people had been shot. When an employee opened the door to let a father and his two sons out of the restaurant, a masked man entered. The man then began shooting. Investigators say it is not clear whether he intended to rob the McDonald’s or was targeting someone inside.
The father then opened fire on the gunman, fatally wounding him. The unidentified dad and one of his kids, a minor, were also struck, but do not have life-threatening injuries.”
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.
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Dale2says
With the Mc Donald’s shooting. This has got to be every concealed carry gun owners worst nightmare. To get into a gun fight with your loved ones in the line of fire. But at least he lived in a state where he could carry. It just goes to show that bad people with bad intentions do not care about the innocent. And stop at nothing to do violence. That includes stringent gun control laws, which they care nothing about. Control advocates do not understand this. If this was New York City or Chicago we would be talking about the two little boys, their father and numerous teen McDonald’s workers who were gunned down in a senseless robbery.
With the Mc Donald’s shooting. This has got to be every concealed carry gun owners worst nightmare. To get into a gun fight with your loved ones in the line of fire. But at least he lived in a state where he could carry. It just goes to show that bad people with bad intentions do not care about the innocent. And stop at nothing to do violence. That includes stringent gun control laws, which they care nothing about. Control advocates do not understand this. If this was New York City or Chicago we would be talking about the two little boys, their father and numerous teen McDonald’s workers who were gunned down in a senseless robbery.