Police in Valdosta, Georgia have concluded their investigation of a shooting at a Dollar General earlier this month, and the man who fired shots will not be facing any charges. The man who was shot by the armed citizen, on the other hand, is looking at a number of felony and misdemeanor offenses.
The shooting happened on October 1 around 5 PM A woman and her teenage daughter were shopping at a Dollar General when the woman's boyfriend, identified as Tevin Jay Love, walked into the business and immediately began assaulting her. The woman was hit in the head multiple times, and when her daughter tried to intervene, Love allegedly began striking her instead.
A 28-year-old man who was also shopping saw the assault and intervened.
The man pulled out his gun and tried to stop Love from attacking the woman. Police say the woman was able to get away and run out of the store. As the man tried to hold Love at gunpoint, Love reportedly charged at the man and began to hit him too. that’s when the man fired once, hitting Love.
Police say Love was released from the hospital Friday, Oct. 9 and taken to the Lowndes County Jail. He’s charged with terroristic threats, aggravated assault, simple battery, and simple assault.
It was pretty clear from the get-go that the armed citizen stepped in to defend the woman and her daughter before he was forced to shoot Love in self-defense. Shortly after the shooting, Valdosta Police Chief Leslie Manahan said the man "observed a female getting viciously beaten by the offender, and he took action to stop the physical assault against her, even putting his life in danger,” adding that because of his swift response, "the assault against the female stopped, preventing her from receiving more violent injuries.”
Still, the official investigation continued, and it wasn't until earlier this week that Manahan announced that the gun owner who shot Love won't be prosecuted for his actions.
It would have been easy enough for him to look the other way or just call 911 and wait for police to arrive. Instead, he chose to help two strangers who were being violently attacked, even though doing so put him in harm's way.
And let's not forget that the armed citizen didn't immediately open fire when he witnessed the assault. He initially drew his gun in an effort to stop the beating, and it apparently worked. The woman was able to escape the store, and the attack on her daughter ended as well. The trigger wasn't pulled until Love allegedly turned his attention to the armed citizen and began physically assaulting him too.
I'm sure the 28-year-old would have preferred to finish his shopping without getting involved in a violent confrontation. I'm also sure that the woman and her daughter are grateful he happened to be there when Love allegedly attacked them.
Carrying a firearm doesn't guarantee that we'll be safe from harm, and having a gun doesn't obligate us to intervene whenever we witness a crime either.
Sometimes, though, an armed citizen really can make the difference between someone suffering a brutal attack and escaping relatively unharmed.
That's what appears to have happened in Valdosta, and I'm glad to see the Good Samaritan getting praise from the local police chief for his willingness to step up when two strangers desperately needed help.
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