Retired Police Officer Shoots Duong In Bank Robbery

A retired Jacksonville police officer was in the drive-thru of a Florida bank when he saw an armed robbery happening inside and sprang into action:

A man believed to have held up the BBVA Compass bank in a Fruit Cove shopping center just before noon Monday was shot at least twice by a retired Jacksonville police officer, according to the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office.

The man suspected of the robbery, later identified as 25-year-old David Duong, was airlifted to UF Health Jacksonville with what were described as serious injuries. The retired officer who fired the shots, 40-year-old Michael Kellam, suffered abrasions from a physical confrontation with Duong.

Sheriff David Shoar said Duong pushed a note demanding money to a teller and then left the bank at the corner of State Road 13 and Race Track Road with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Police said Kellam was waiting in the drive-through teller line and saw Duong running from the bank after the robbery. He chased Duong to a residential area on Bishop Estates Road behind the bank and confronted him near Teakwood Court. The two briefly fought, and the altercation ended when, according to witnesses, Duong tried to pull a handgun from his waistband and Kellam drew his handgun and fired several times, hitting Duong at least twice, deputies said.

Duong then ran back toward the shopping center, where he apparently had a getaway car parked, when he was confronted by a responding St. Johns County deputy, who held him at gunpoint outside a Mexican restaurant until paramedics arrived, according to deputies. Deputies said they found a large amount of cash on Duong, along with a note demanding money and a handgun.

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Mr. Kellam, the retired officer, was basically attempting a citizen’s arrest when Duong went for his gun, but Kellam outdrew him and put rounds on target.

You’ll note that Doung was unable to drawn his weapon; so-called “Mexican” carry is preferred by criminals because of the theory that they can ditch a gun if being pursued and have no holster tying them to the weapon. A side effect, however, is that the lack of a holster means that the gun is in direct contact with clothing that can snag on the gun and prevent it from being drawn, which appears to be the case here. Doung never got his gun out, while Kellam drew and was able to fire a volley of shots, hitting Duong twice.

Thanks to Mr. Kellam’s instincts and tolerable shooting, Duong is in the hospital in serious condition and will be facing a raft of felony charges if he recovers, and will no longer be a threat to citizens in St. Johns County.

Once again, a good guy with a gun stopped a bad guy with a gun.

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