My quiet little city?
11:03AM on February 09, 2008
Last Sunday night I went to work thinking it was just gonna be another dull night. It started off just fine. I had enjoyed the Superbowl and got to joke around with my stock crew about it. Then just about Midnight I get a call that we have a man with a gun shooting it in the parking lot of the store. I went into full Manager/Security mode. I called 911 and got the customers away from the entrance. I went to the door and secured it just as the Police arrived.
I saw the man and remembered seeing him in the store a few minutes earlier. He had been arguing with a woman in our Deli. I was about to approach them and ask if all was OK when he threw up his arms and walked away from her. I asked if she was alright and she said "Yes." She had been at a Superbowl party and he tried to pick her up but she didn't want anything to do with him. He followed her and her girlfriends to the store and would not take NO for an answer. She and her friends left and he sat down on a bench just outside of our entrance. One witness said he saw the guy rocking back and forth like he was falling asleep. He then lifted his shirt and pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and fired several rounds in the direction the women had driven off.
Our Police department was fast on the response. It took me three minutes to get from the back of the store to the front door. By the time I got there they had already arrived and were securing the area. As I went to close the door and lock it an officer leveled his M-16 at me and I had to quickly explain I was just locking the door. I was able to witness an officer tackle the man and watched him fight him to put the cuffs on.
Twenty minutes later the Police had him in a car and allowed the customers to leave. Then the fun began. We had to begin taking statements for the Police and for my security report as well. My quiet night had now turned into a full blown security investigation. I had to walk the parking lot and look for bullet holes. Get with my Loss Prevention team. File the report with Corporate security and make sure my partners were all OK. When all was said and done this little incident turned into an all night affair.
Bubba
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