A brazen daylight carjacking in Nashville, Tennessee over the weekend ended up as a fatal mistake for the would-be carjacker, who was shot and killed by his intended victim.
The incident unfolded in a retail area of Berry Hill on Saturday afternoon, as a Door Dash driver stopped to pick up a delivery at a local Chick-fil-a. As he was heading back to his vehicle, which was parked in the parking lot of an adjacent pharmacy, a man with a gun approached him and demanded his keys.
Instead, the driver went for a gun of his own that was in the driver's side door. The carjacker fired a shot and hit the driver in the leg. The driver then returned fire, striking and killing the would-be carjacker.
As of Sunday, police still hadn't identified the suspect and were hoping to use fingerprints to do so since they did not have any identification on them when they were killed. Authorities also haven't said if the driver will face any charges, but the armed citizen's actions are already drawing praise from another local rideshare driver.
“When I saw that on the news yesterday, my immediate reaction was, you know, ‘Good,'” rideshare driver Alexander Causey told News 2 on Sunday, April 26. “It’s unfortunate that the carjacker lost his life over this, but he made the decision to do that, and that was the consequences of that action.”
Causey spends a lot of time behind the wheel with people he doesn’t know in his back seat.
“I’m glad that more of us, my brethren, are out here armed and ready to defend themselves should bad actors come along… If I’m going to have strangers in my car, I don’t know what they have and they don’t know what I have, and that kind of keeps everybody safe,” he explained.
... “I think it’s safe to say that just about all of us out there have something, whatever it looks like for them, whether that be pepper spray or something with a blade or a different device,” Causey explained.
I certainly hope so, though Causey may end up as a former rideshare driver if any of the suits at Uber or Lyft get wind of his comments. Both companies have driver (and passenger) disarmament policies in place, and drivers who violate that policy are usually swiftly kicked off the platform and forbidden from contracting with the company in the future... even if they end up using a firearm, stun gun, or other device in self-defense.
DoorDash, thankfully, does not have a similar policy in its community guidelines, so the Dasher who defended himself against the armed carjacker on Saturday should be able to continue his deliveries in the future if he wants; at least if police clear him of any potential charges.
Based on the reports about the incident, it sounds like the driver had a reasonable belief that his life was in danger. After all, he'd already been shot when he returned fire. At that point it would be unreasonable to think the carjacker didn't pose a threat to the driver and others.
Even though DoorDash, UberEats, and rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft don't rely on cash, drivers are still regularly targeted by robbers and carjackers for their belongings and for the vehicles they use. I don't blame this driver, Causey, or anyone else who makes money providing these services for choosing to carry a firearm or another self-defense tool when they're behind the wheel. Even in a tough job environment, finding new employment is possible. Getting a new life is not, and I'm glad that this driver had his gun when he needed it.
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