85 Year Old Man Fatally Stabbed, Attacker Held At Gunpoint by Female Customer

Adrian, MI — This past Wednesday at about 12:30 pm an 85 year old man was stabbed to death by a 29 year old suspect inside a Meijer store.

Police were able to apprehend the suspected murderer after an armed citizen held him at gun point until authorities arrived. The motive for the attack is not currently known, but the elderly man received multiple stabs to his neck and head and was pronounced dead by police at the scene.

The police were notified by the dispatcher while en route to the location that the suspect was being held under gun point by a woman with a concealed carry license.

It’s being reported that the woman witnessed the attack, drew her firearm, and ordered the suspect to the ground, where he stayed until police arrived.

The 85 year old victim’s name has yet to be released as of this writing and the 29 year old doesn’t deserve to have his name uttered.

The suspect has been taken to the Lenawee County Jail and is facing the following charges: Open murder, carrying a concealed weapon, and carrying a weapon with unlawful intent.

There were no other injured people from this incident, and we don’t know if other people would have been targeted and harmed by the suspect if the woman gun carrier hadn’t intervened.

Women are the fastest growing segment of gun ownership, and concealed carry classes are being filled more and more with ladies which should only be seen as a good thing.

Leave your thoughts on this story in the comments below.

14 Comments

  1. Richard on September 21, 2020 at 10:31 am

    I he had dropped his knife and turned and ran away, could she have fired to stop a fleeing murderer. I have be told you can only use your gun when you or someone is in danger. If he drops his knife, no one is in danger anymore. He could just nonchalantly walk away. If he did not comply with the order to get on ground, she could not legally shot. Correct?

    • Jacob Paulsen on September 21, 2020 at 10:40 am

      Richard I agree with your assessment for the most part. I suppose the argument could be made, if he dropped the knife and walked away, that he still posed a deadly threat to others in the store but that would have been a more difficult argument to be sure.

      • Michael on September 21, 2020 at 1:50 pm

        Shoot before he drops the knife?

    • Paul on September 22, 2020 at 11:40 am

      We were taught not to use our weapon to detain a suspect. Does that stance vary by state?

      • Jacob Paulsen on September 22, 2020 at 11:46 am

        Paul, if you are asking for a legal perspective you are most certainly correct. Detaining someone or preventing their escape with the use or threat of use of deadly force is illegal and the primary thing that separates law enforcement from non-law enforcement in most jurisdictions. As to what constitutes “detaining” that can vary some by jurisdiction. In this case, we don’t know much about the words that were used. For example, if the women just pointed the firearm and said “Stop” that probably would not mean the criteria for an arrest. On the other hand saying something like, “stay put” or “don’t go anywhere” or “I’ll shoot if you run” would most certainly cross the line. All that said I’ll just add that I see these kind of stories regularly and its a very rare day that law enforcement chooses to exercise their discretion to arrest the good samaritan for an illegal arrest.

    • Daniel Passer on October 5, 2020 at 12:29 pm

      Saying that if he drops, the knife no one is in danger anymore is a potentially deadly false premise. He may have another concealed weapon or weapons. His fists and his physical prowess could still present a lethal danger, especially to other frail or elderly people; this is the concept of disparate force. He may have one or more accomplices lurking nearby. He may be on illegal drugs that provide him with an extraordinary amount of physical strength temporarily. His already established that his credibility is zero, so his words would mean nothing. If the law says that you can’t shoot him to stop the threat just because he first dropped his freshly used murder weapon before he attempted to flee the scene where he committed the murder, then the law is an ass, in my humble opinion. I imagine that any murderer with an ounce of common sense would realize that if he wants to attempt to make a clean getaway, the first thing he needs to do to be more inconspicuous would be to let go of his knife that is full of the blood from his freshly murdered victim. Violent criminals do not stop being violent of their own accord. They must be stopped. This 29 year old scum bag saw the muzzle end of the gun pointed at him, and – at that point – he happened to realize that 2 + 2 = 4. Support our police. Support law and order for all citizens of all races. Vote for President Trump!

      • Daniel Passer on October 5, 2020 at 12:48 pm

        His action already established that his credibility is zero. His behavior proved the heinous act that he is capable of. We are often surrounded by many potential weapons, perhaps even more so in a department grocery store. It would be easy for this scum bag to get his hands on another object to use as a deadly weapon. The lethal danger is the scum bag running free, not the particular object that he is using at a given moment to commit murder. He can always get his hands on another knife, hammer, etc.

  2. Nathan McIntyre on September 21, 2020 at 5:37 pm

    Very hard to defend shooting the unarmed attacker without it sounding like intent at that point instead of defense. Also being clear minded to do so. I imagine possibly shooting as they are in the act if not shocked from the scene unfolding in front of you. I believe she did the right thing in detaining him at gunpoint until police arrived.

    Unless there was someone there that could stop the bleeding from the neck without crushing his wind pipe there wasn’t much she could do other than detain him. It can be very difficult to stop bleeding from major arteries because there is a LOT of pressure in them.

    I see it as everything that could’ve been done was done. I don’t carry for the hopes of shooting someone, only the hopes of stopping a tragedy, most likely involving myself. It is in the laws hands now and I believe in our police.

    It may sound bad but we don’t carry to be vigilantes and carrying out our own justice. We all took the class and swore to rules and regulations that keep us from plugging someone even if they deserve it. Also, we swore we would remain on the right side of the law involving anything like this. I commend her for doing what she did and having the restraint to not go over the line.

  3. Mordecai on September 23, 2020 at 7:38 pm

    From everything I have been taught she would have been legally safe to have shot the attacker if caught in the act, knife still in hand, as she would have been defending another against a mortal threat, especially given the disparity of force between victim and attacker (age, weapon). Having said that,I can’t imagine what it must be like to have to decide in a split second to take a life or not. Although I train for that possibility I fervently hope it never comes to pass. My hat is off to that young woman for her skill, judgment and presence of mind.

  4. Shelly Stanley on September 24, 2020 at 2:53 am

    If assailant drops knife and walks away and victim is beyond help or receiving help, holster weapon, pull out phone and begin recording and follow assailant until police arrive. This assures that assailant doesn’t have a second weapon, or continue to assault someone else, and, if he/she gets in to a vehicle, you have video of make, model and license number.

  5. Erwin Lang on September 24, 2020 at 12:38 pm

    Hoorah for the lady with the gun. Well done.

  6. Marjorie Webb on September 24, 2020 at 9:54 pm

    Would you be able to shoot in arm or leg then he could be tracked to the hospital

    • Jacob Paulsen on December 22, 2020 at 10:16 am

      Marjorie, for a number of good reasons aiming to injure is never considered a best practice.

  7. William W on October 10, 2020 at 11:21 am

    We need more businesses that allow customers who either open carry or concealed because this could have been much worse. It saddens me that a elderly man had to be harmed. I have most people talk about using deadly force but she remained calm and took the right measures to possibly prevent more casualties and she should be commended for her bravery and possibly stopping more harm to others.

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