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| Clackamas Man, Armed, Confronts Mall Shooter |
| 2012-12-16 |
| Nick Meli is emotionally drained. The 22-year-old was at Clackamas Town Center with a friend and her baby when a masked man opened fire. "I heard three shots and turned and looked at Casey and said, 'are you serious?,'" he said. The friend and baby hit the floor. Meli, who has a concealed carry permit, positioned himself behind a pillar. "He was working on his rifle," said Meli. "He kept pulling the charging handle and hitting the side." The break in gunfire allowed Meli to pull out his own gun, but he never took his eyes off the shooter. "As I was going down to pull, I saw someone in the back of the Charlotte move, and I knew if I fired and missed, I could hit them," he said. Meli took cover inside a nearby store. He never pulled the trigger. He stands by that decision. "I'm not beating myself up cause I didn't shoot him," said Meli. "I know after he saw me, I think the last shot he fired was the one he used on himself." The gunman was dead, but not before taking two innocent lives with him and taking the innocence of everyone else. How many more would be dead, if the killer hadn't seen a gun staring him in the face? One wonders. "I don't ever want to see anyone that way ever," said Meli. "It just bothers me." |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #5 Either way, this guy made a good decision under duress and he should be shown as an example of what a normal citizen with a concealed permit can accomplish. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2012-12-16 19:04 |
| #4 No doubt Steve. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-12-16 15:00 |
| #3 I suspect that is the last thing on his mind right now. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2012-12-16 14:57 |
| #2 Law enforcement hell, give 'em 14 years, that's leadership material. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2012-12-16 14:54 |
| #1 I believe that young man has a promising career in law enforcement ahead of him, should he decide to go in that direction. I salute him! |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2012-12-16 14:23 |