Jewelry store scenario

LASur5r

Moderator
You've stopped into a local jewelry store and you notice somebody behind the counter who definitely wasn't part of the family business. He is also disheveled, not typical of the family who ran the store...plus he's a different ethnic type.
You have your CCW and your cell phone.

What do you do?
 
"Oh, sorry, I thought this was <neighbouring store>", backpedal (not turning around), get behind cover (not the getaway car), scan, draw, call the cops (stay on the phone, give your description, describe the BG).

If he comes out and starts shooting, it is he who started the fight in the street.

You may use lethal force to save someone elses life, but you don't have to insert yourself into an unclear situation unless you are a cop. I also assume that there is some kind of doorbell so the BG does see you first.
 
It does not matter that you have a CCW and a cell phone. Your first goal is to simply not be there and so you leave ASAP. After that time, when you are safe, then you start with the phone calling. If the suspect did not do anything wrong, producing your gun would be wrong. Plus, since you are totally ignorant of the situation other than a person not normally selling jewelry is behind the counter, anything you do aside from leaving will likely worsen the situation.

You do not know if he actually works in the store or not. You just suspect it because he isn't normal family, unkempt, and of different ethnicity. Actually, the different ethnicity aspect is really moot and not indicative of anything. If it is a jewelry store, the appearance of not being neat and tidy is probably a much better indicator that something is not right. I happen to know several multi-ethnic families. Maybe this guy is the husband who married into the family who just got off working all night and agreed to watch the store after Dad had a heart attack? Hence, he is not familiar to you, has a bad appearance, and the other family are not there (since they are at the hospital).
You do not know where the normal salespeople are.
You do not know if the suspect is armed.
You do not know if there are other suspects watching from the back room who may also be armed.

Doing anything other than leaving, being safe, and then calling for help because you think the store is being robbed would be stupid. One of the most dangerous things people do is to walk in on the middle of a robbery. It is more dangerous to realize something is wrong and think that you can make it all well when you actually have such a poor understanding of the situation.

People wonder why cops and firemen don't run into buildings where gun battles and fires are. There is a good reason for that. It would be stupid.
 
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