This sounds almost like it was a full-one gun-battle, in which only the store own scored a hit:

The owner of a Rocky Mount convenience store shot and wounded one of three men suspected of trying to rob the store Sunday night, according to Rocky Mount police.

Three men entered Mix Mart at 1522 S. Church St. about 9 p.m. police said. Two of the men were armed with handguns while the third suspect attempted to rob the 43-year-old man, but the store owner pulled a handgun and the two groups fired multiple shots at one another, police said. The three suspects then fled the scene.

One suspect is described as a 5-foot-6 black man, weighing about 170 pounds with a black leather jacket covering a blue hooded sweatshirt and a blue scarf covering his face. The second suspect is described as a 5-foot-6 black man, weighing 150 pounds and wearing a red shirt and black jacket. The third suspect is described as a 5-foot-9 black man, weighing 170 pounds and wearing a multi-colored button up shirt.

A short time later, Rocky Mount police responded to a shooting victim found on the 1600 block of Davis Street. The victim, an 18-year-old man, had one gunshot wound and was flown to Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, where he is listed in critical condition.

While I doubt either the store owner or the criminals had any realistic firearms training, it never ceases to amaze me how the pressure of close-quarters, life-or-death fighting seems to make most people revert to the most primitive kind of point shooting, regardless of their background and experience.

I’m reminded of an episode the 2009 reality-television show Special Ops Mission, in which Wil Willis, a former Army Ranger and Air force Pararescueman, engaged with OPFOR Carlos Moreno, a U.S. Marine, from just yards away. Both men were equipped with M4 carbines loaded with Simunition marker rounds, and Willis had a pistol for backup.

Between his rifle and his pistol, Willis fired approximately 30 times; Moreno emptied his M4’s 30 round magazine. Neither man score even a superficial hit, and Moreno was able to disengage and withdraw.

It will be interesting to see if the police end up releasing a total round count among the three guns fired in this attempted robbery. I’m just glad that the store owner emerged physically unscathed, and hope that the identity of the wounded robber will quickly lead to the arrest of his partners.