PASCO COUNTY, FLORIDA — The father of a father-and-son roadside barbecue stand was threatened with a six inch spike after a homeless man asked him for money. According to several witnesses, including the father, the father first offered to give the man a job. Instead of working for a living, the would-be attacker brandished a spike. Thankfully, the son was able to use his gun to protect himself, his father, and the business.
Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco gave a preliminary assessment of the scene for WTSB 10 News where he said that the father had tried to do a very noble thing — offer a job to a man who comes to you for money. He went on to say that it appears the son not only defended his own life but also that of his father.
Florida has “Stand Your Ground” laws in place. So long as a person has every legal right to be some place and he fears serious bodily harm or death to himself or, in this case, his father, he has no duty to retreat and may defend himself with deadly force.
In this case, the son may very well have saved his father’s life.
The man who was shot had no identification on his body so investigators are still trying to identify him. He died at the scene after a single gun shot took him down. Witnesses at the scene all corroborate the story the father and son told police when they arrived. In short, this father and business owner offered something far better than just a few bucks: he offered his would-be assailant an opportunity to earn some money.
That must not have been good enough for the attacker.
Thankfully, ‘option B’ existed. If the bad guy wanted to try to hurt his father, the son could and did shoot him with a handgun he kept on him.
Working a roadside business, there’s good money to be made selling barbecue to passers-by. But, like any business operating on the side of the road, we have to see that it’s just as tasty an option for bad guys. This business got it right. Do the best you can by people but if they’re intent on hurting or killing you over your money or possessions, there’s no more room to negotiate. You have to defend yourself.
That can only happen if you’re carrying a handgun every single day. You can’t anticipate when the bad guy will show up or what he will do. The only thing you can plan for is how you intend to defend your life should the time come.
We’re glad it worked out for the family and that they’re safe, their business is safe, and their patrons know that in addition to some mouth-watering barbecue, they can look forward to a degree of safety and peace when they stop by.