Long live the "assault rifle"

[Burke]

Guard kills 2 in robbery attempt in Red Bird

Third suspect is in custody; man shot pair with assault rifle

08:48 PM CDT on Thursday, October 4, 2007
By TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
teiserer@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcont...t.2cdef6a.html

A security guard used an assault rifle to kill two robbery suspects at a Red Bird strip mall late Wednesday, police said.

Police say the guard grabbed his weapon when one of the men pointed a handgun at him.

Brandon Stewart Sergio Vann, the 19-year-old gun-wielding assailant, died at the scene late Wednesday. Detavias Davis, 17, who was driving the getaway car, died at a hospital.

A third suspect, Brandon Stewart, 18, was being held in the Dallas County Jail on a charge of aggravated robbery.

Police are looking into whether the trio may have been involved in other robberies.

Dedrick Howard, the 20-year-old security guard, declined to comment. His employer did not return a call seeking comment.

The incident happened about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of a shopping center in the 2200 block of West Red Bird Lane.

Mr. Howard, a licensed security guard, told police that he was on duty, sitting in his vehicle and working on a laptop when he noticed a white Mitsubishi circling the parking lot.

The car parked two spaces away from him, police said. Two men, identified as Mr. Vann and Mr. Stewart, got out and ran toward Mr. Howard's car, police said.

"One kid asked him, 'Do you have change for a $20?' " said police Sgt. Ray Beaudreault, a homicide supervisor. "Of course, he didn't. The other kid pulled a gun and told him to get out of the car."

As Mr. Howard got out of the car, he grabbed an assault rifle from the passenger seat and fired several rounds. Mr. Vann was hit, and Mr. Stewart ran.

The getaway car's driver, identified as Mr. Davis, restarted the car, police said. Thinking the driver might have a weapon, Mr. Howard then shot at the car, striking Mr. Davis, police said.

As Mr. Davis fled, fatally wounded, he lost control of his car and it struck another vehicle, authorities said.

Police think Mr. Vann, who had the gun, tried to fire it at Mr. Howard because police found a round in the gun's chamber and two live rounds on the ground, Sgt. Beaudreault said.

"I think that's probably what saved the security guard's life, because he had time to fire his weapon before Sergio did," Sgt. Beaudreault said. "He didn't know how to operate the weapon."

Sgt. Beaudreault said he believes that, typically, armed security guards carry handguns and not assault rifles. "It's not your standard weapon," he said.

Mr. Howard fired 11 rounds from the assault rifle, police said.

Police say Mr. Stewart was arrested when he returned about 15 minutes later to retrieve his cellphone and jacket from the car. Mr. Stewart told detectives that he and his accomplices planned to rob Mr. Howard of his laptop, a police report said.

"Kids at that age need to be in school, getting a good education," said Sgt. Beaudreault. "Why they're out there robbing a security guard is beyond me. I don't really know what to make of it."

After the shooting, Mr. Vann's mother called and spoke with a detective. She told police that her son worked at Wal-Mart and that Wednesday was his day off.

"She said he was a good kid," Sgt. Beaudreault said.

Sgt. Beaudreault said the deaths of the two suspected robbers will be referred to a grand jury. But it is unlikely that a grand jury will indict Mr. Howard because state law allows a person to use deadly force to prevent being robbed.

State law also does not require that someone retreat before using deadly force to defend themselves in their homes, cars or places of business.

[JohnRaven.exe]

Good for him. Now theres two less pieces of trash polluting our streets!

[A-10]

I don't think it matters that he used an "assault weapon." What matters is that he effectively defended himself. He could have done this with a 15th century Scottish Broad swoard for all I care.

[ArkansasHunter]

I hate it happened, but mr Howard had a right to defend himself and he did it first class too !

[jashoffa]

A-10 I share your tougts on this one. I really would rather they just call it a rifle. The story doesn't say what kind of gun it is but other than the use of the term "Assult Rifle" I think the reporter gave the store and gun rigts a pretty far shake. Not nearly as bias as some of big papers in my neck of the woods.

[Triggerjerk]

Idiots! Why would you try to rob anybody in a uniform that you may even suspect has a gun? They ought to be nominated for a Darwin Award.

[ezearln]

Double Idiots, single for trying to rob anyone in uniform that MAY have a gun and double for trying to rob anyone in uniform that MAY have a gun and then not know how to use their own!
"Opps hang on there feller while I read the owners manual on this here pistol I am trying to shoot you with, hey where'd you get that (Bang!) ouch! Rifle from?"

[Burke]

I put the word assault rifle in quotes so that it would be taken lightly.
The word (assault rifle) really denotes a fully automatic or select fire capability, such as the rifles that our military uses.

Perhaps better wording would be "assault style rifle".

Not to many soldiers or LEOs breeching doors with semi-automatic rifles..

In fact this is the first article I have seen in a while where the reporter has used the phrase "assault rifle" when referring to a LEO/Guard using it.

Usually when referring to "criminals" it is an "assault rifle" but when LEOS use it is called a service weapon or "service rifle".

So mock me not on my usage of the word in my title...rather, mock the ignorant reporter..

[GoodAim]

Yup I agree. I think that if it looks "evil" they tend to call it a Assault Rifle. When the true definition is a rifle that can be fired in a fully automatic mode. Very few people have fully auto weapons. Criminals only have them cause they have either been purchased on the black market or someone has "rigged" them to fire in fully auto.

I cannot imagine what these kids were thinking. I would never approach anyone sitting in a car and attempt to rob them. Especially if they have a uniform on. I can easily conceal a number of weapons in my car and the only way you would know is if you were to provoke me to use one or search my vehicle. I am very amazed that the kids even tried to rob anyone. I think it was more a thrill crime than anything else. They just wanted to see if they could get away with it. It's sad they had to lose their lives to find out the answer. Good job done by the security guard though. He did what he was supposed to in the situation.

[Recon 173]

No. No. The guard was actually using a sport utility rifle or SUR. Bad guys, liberals and news media people own or use assault rifles. Good guys use SURs. So, Hitlery Clinton holding an AK-47 type rifle is holding an assault rifle. A policeman holding the same rifle is holding a SUR. See how it works???

[damage855]

"sport utility rifle"
I see political correctness reversed on them. I like it!

[LarryO1970]

... why couldn't they have referred to it as it was? Was it an AR? They never mention what "it" is... but we can probably all agree that he term "assault rifle" was not only incorrectly used... but way overused here. I doubt there's much debate over whether this writer and/or the news media is anti-gun.

Kudos to the officer... and I agree triggerjerk... this one is a top candidate for a Darwin Award.

[YankeeSpirit76]

Did you notice that even the police called it an "assault" rifle?

[SwedeSteve]

Too bad 2 young boys had to die over a laptop! Too bad the guard had to shoot them. Too bad he didn't get a shot at the third.

[Mooseman684]

If you are using a rifle Defensively , then it should be called an "anti-assault rifle"...
Rich

[Big Dog]

Stupid mother. Seems they are all "Good Boys" til they rob and kill.

Good shoot. End of story.

[Windwalker]

Clean shoot. Grand Jury should no bill.

[iareConfusE]

Just cleaning up the gene pool....

[ArkansasHunter]

I wonder where Burke is ?