On June 15, an armed bystander intervened after seeing an armed man allegedly holding a female convenience-store clerk at gunpoint. The armed bystander shot the suspect once, killing him.
The incident occurred around 2:30 am in East Knoxville, Tennessee.
According to 6 ABC, a friend of the clerk “was outside the store in his parked vehicle” and saw 18-year-old Tamon J. Stapleton allegedly pull a gun inside the business. The friend of the clerk then “retrieved his handgun, entered the store and fired one shot, hitting Stapleton.”
Police arrived to find Stapleton dead on the scene. They said he was allegedly armed with a 9mm which appeared to be stolen and from which the “serial number had been removed.”
Knox County District Attorney General Charme P. Allen explained that Tennessee law recognizes treats intervention to save a third party the same way it treats the use of force to save your own life. He said: “The law in Tennessee as to third party is basically the same as it is to any individual in self defense. If you walk upon a stranger and you think that stranger is fixing to be hurt, then you can act on behalf of that stranger.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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