An armed man entered a Orrville, Ala., Dollar General on Thursday, waved his gun in the air and threatened to kill everyone, AL.com reports. Though motive is unclear, he never got the chance to hurt anyone because a customer carrying a concealed handgun neutralized him with a deadly shot.
Dallas County Sheriff Harris Huffman Jr. told WSFA-TV that the gunman held a cashier and customer at gunpoint, forcing them toward a break room area. It was at this point that the customer reportedly drew his firearm and shot the suspect one time in the chest. The entire incident took less than five minutes, police say.
The gunman was pronounced dead on the scene.
The sheriff said the customer is not currently facing any charges over the shooting death, however, investigators are working to confirm he had a valid concealed carry permit. Open carry is legal in Alabama, but a permit is required to carry a concealed handgun.
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There was also a sign posted outside the Dollar General prohibiting open carry, but not concealed carry, the report states.
“The deceased individual had his in his hand, waving it. The customer actually had one in a holster covered up. We’re in the process of checking on permits and all of that,” Huffman Jr. said.
“You have one individual waving a gun and you have another one who shoots the one waving the gun. Some people say that’s justifiable. Then you’re going to have some who says it’s not. I think we need to get all of the information we can get from everybody and then go forward from there,” the sheriff added.
No one, other than the gunman, was injured in the incident. The individuals involved were not immediately identified.
