Following a Robber

[Scott Murray]

The thread about a tow truck in the driveway included some discussion about following the robber while dialing 911. Here's a case where that got a fellow killed. If you do, be sure and have your pistol close.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4382633.html

Dec. 6, 2006, 12:22PM

Humble robber kills witness chasing him

A Porter resident trying to help police track a gas station robber was fatally shot by the fleeing hold-up man while a 911 emergency operator listened helplessly, police said.

Investigators today were calling Steven Jackson, 47, a "good samaritan'' who risked his life tracking the fleeing robber and reporting the hold-up man's moves to police by cellular telephone.

Jackson was found dead in his car in the 21000 block of U.S. 59 after chasing the armed robber from a Shell station at 1003 FM 1960, police said.

The gunman apparently realized he was being followed and stopped so suddenly that Jackson's vehicle crashed into the robber's. The robber then got out of his car and shot Jackson, police said.

Jackson. a volunteer firefighter for both the Porter and Kingwood departments, leaves a wife and two children. He was a technical sales representative for a family-owned oil equipment company.

According to Humble police, an armed man robbed the Shell gas station shortly after 7 p.m. Tuesday and fled in a white car.

Jackson may have been pumping gas at the station when he witnessed the crime, Humble police investigator Drew Caruthers said.

The Shell store manager said corporate policy barred him from giving his name. But he said the robber first parked across the street, where he appeared to be watching the store.

The man entered the story, brandished a pistol covered by a paper sack and forced the clerk on duty first to a floor and then into a back room.

The man stole several hundred dollars, police said.

After the robber left the store, the clerk ran outside yelling that she'd been robbed, the manager said.

Security cameras are installed in the store but the video equipment that records activity was out of order, police said.

The robber wore no mask, the manager said, adding that the store has been robbed several times in the past.

Humble police Lt. Clinton Sammon said Jackson was found dead in his car about a half-mile from the store and appeared to have been shot at close range.

Before he died, Jackson told a Harris County 911 dispatcher that he'd been shot, Sammon said.

[Paladin]

Good post Scott!




Jackson sounds like a good man that will be greatly missed.

[Paladin]

Security cameras are installed in the store but the video equipment that records activity was out of order, police said.

The robber wore no mask, the manager said, adding that the store has been robbed several times in the past.

Sounds like bad management at the store.

[Venus Pax]

That's so sad. His family will miss him. I hope the guy that did this is never out again.

[Venus Pax]

Something similar happened in Baytown at the Target. Two men robbed an elderly lady. When she screamed, several onlookers were calling 911, giving descriptions, and several followed them. Both men, from Channelview and Houston, were caught.

[Boma]

That's so messed up. That guy is going to get caught. This is another reason why we need the death penalty.

Then the murderer dresses up in a nice suit, and says he's sorry and he's changed his life and believes in God now.

[Tote 9]

This is a bad situation to loose a good man. I feel for his family. I think
this is one of those times in life when we make mistakes and pay for them.
Thinking this over I don't think I would have been chaseing an armed robber
if I wasn't armed. Losing my life and my family is not worth helping
the police catch a robber over money. I think he should have left the matter to the police. As I said, it was a mistake. I have made many mistakes in my
lifetime, some of them costly. I just hope and pray I don't make a mistake as fatal as his.

[seamusTX]

Thinking this over I don't think I would have been chaseing an armed robber if I wasn't armed.

I don't think I would be chasing an armed robber if I was armed. Two people shooting at each other have essentially a coin toss to decide which one is hit first.

Protecting yourself in a vehicle is particularly hard if you're right-handed, because your maneuverability is limited and your weapon is blocked by parts of the vehicle. I practice a lot, but not shooting from my car.

- Jim

[casselthief]

I practice a lot, but not shooting from my car.

- Jim

not many ranges let you do that....

[seamusTX]

You need a good friend who runs a junk yard.

Now wouldn't that be fun?

- Jim

[casselthief]

werd!

I'da prolly chased him. I'da stayed a little ways back, though.
course, I'da prolly dropped him before he left, too, depending on how quickly I could have gotten to a good position....

course, those are all "I'da's," too, after the fact, and able to sit and ponder.

[yerasimos]

I'da prolly chased him. I'da stayed a little ways back, though.

Either that, or trail him from his 8 or 4 o'clock, parallel with--but off of--his line of movement; that way you could eyeball the license plate with reduced risk of him jamming you (as happened to Mr Jackson). In this case, I bet the car was stolen, but every bit of information helps.

course, those are all "I'da's," too, after the fact, and able to sit and ponder.

Well said. We can learn from Mr Jackson's unfortunate experience, and incorporate this information into our mental plan.

[yerasimos]

I'm not sure if anyone else has reviewed this, but here's some additional followup:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/met ... 84864.html

This caught my attention:

"Besides regularly riding his Harley-Davidson, Jackson loved to hunt and was licensed to carry a concealed weapon. He kept a handgun in a zipped compartment in the door of his vehicle, his family said.

Authorities are investigating whether it is still there.

"Even with a gun, he wouldn't have hurt anybody. Not even the robber," Tippit said."

It seems to me as though it is very possible that Jackson was armed, but in the chaos of the chase and collision, he was overcome by a determined adversary.

Some hard questions that may never be answered, but are worth considering:
If he had his gun in the car that night, in the place people said he kept it, would he have been able to access it quickly enough?
Did he seriously consider the possibility of an armed confrontation with the robber, rather than simply following him?
After he received his CHL, did he seek to cultivate a mindset compatible with using deadly force if necessary? (See Tippit's comment.)

As an aside, why did the Chronicle interview a Fort Bend County LEO for commentary on a robbery in Humble? Even I know that they are on opposite sides of Houston. Was it because they knew he would give them the sound bite they wanted to print?

Rest in peace, Steven. I hope the person who did this to you gets what he deserves.

[Tote 9]

Thinking this over I don't think I would have been chaseing an armed robber if I wasn't armed.

I don't think I would be chasing an armed robber if I was armed. Two people shooting at each other have essentially a coin toss to decide which one is hit first.

Protecting yourself in a vehicle is particularly hard if you're right-handed, because your maneuverability is limited and your weapon is blocked by parts of the vehicle. I practice a lot, but not shooting from my car.

- Jim

Your right Seamus, let me rewrite that.

I don't think I would have been chasing an armed robber.. espeicialy if I wasn't armed.

[seamusTX]

I don't think I would have been chasing an armed robber.. espeicialy if I wasn't armed.

Good tactics.

- Jim