Your car or your life?

Lori · Post by **Lori** » Fri Dec 31, 1999 6:46 am

On another thread I mentioned the Tampa shootings that you may have heard about by now. In the story I first came across about the hideous event the reporter mentions that the shooter fled to a nearby parking lot where he tried to force a woman to give him her car (this is a man who just shot like eight people - still holding the damn smoking gun) and SHE REFUSED!!!! She paid with her life. I hope the car was worth it!

Better yet - I hope it was just poor reporting, and there is not REALLY some woman out there who is so STUPID that she would DENY A CRAZED GUNMAN HER FREAKING CAR!!!

Sure - don't go with him - absolutely - never go to the secondary crime scene. We've learned that (I hope) here and from self-defense experts. But if the gun is in your face and you are told to get out and leave the keys - would you do it? Or would you tell the shooter to forget it? Are there really any other options here?

Peace,
Lori

JohnC · Post by **JohnC** » Fri Dec 31, 1999 9:52 am

Can we train to divide the man with absolutely nothing to lose with murderous abandonment, and the nervous punk whose gun is probably not even loaded. Awareness would provide a telling factor. How did the gunman appear, what sound had she heard, what was her fear and instint telling her at that moment? What were the dynamics of the car jacking? could she have driven off, even slamming other cars? What crisis planning had she done? What was her obstinance about giving up the car? Was it the last stand in a life of victimization? Was it a gut level instinctual reaction she could not control? Perhaps she had an illogical thought that her car was her chariot to safety and santuary.

We'll never know. We should all be thinking of a plan to respond should this arise.

Lori · Post by **Lori** » Fri Dec 31, 1999 3:26 pm

Sad follow up: after killing the woman the gunman went to another car which was surrendered without argument. That driver escaped any injury.

No, we'll never know those details leading up to the botched car-jacking. We will never know how we will react until something happens. But the mental mindset can be prepared for by working through situations like this...

Peace,
Lori