Yet Another Good-Guy-With-Gun Story – This Time in Missouri – Opinion

While Sunday’s shooting at the Greenwood Park Mall, in Indianapolis, has made national news, another good-guy-with-a-gun story unfolded in St. Charles, Missouri, early Saturday morning.

St. Charles is a suburb in St. Louis that isn’t a hotbed for crime and, possibly not by accident, it is heavily Republican.

Saturday morning, however, a man engaged in a violent spree of armed robberies at gas stations in the area, injuring one store clerk and holding a knife to another clerk’s neck before he was confronted by a good Samaritan.

Fox2:

According to police, the crime spree started at 3:00 a.m. on Saturday with an armed robbery of Mobile On The Run at 1401 S. Fifth Street. The suspect held a knife to the 43-year-old female clerk’s throat while she opened the cash register. She was then shoved to the ground by the suspect, who then took money from her register and pulled her towards the back, asking her where it was.

The clerk wasn’t able to access the safe and the suspect dragged her back to the front counter where she opened a second register in attempt to stop the assault on her. In a black SUV, the suspect fled from the shop after passing through the second register. She had lacerations to her neck, left wrist and right hand from the knife. The injuries were not life-threatening and she was taken to a local hospital.

In the midst of the armed robbery at Mobile On The Run by police officers, a call came in for Mid-Town Phillips 66. This is located at 524 First Capitol. Officers arrived to find broken glass, indicating that a burglary occurred.

Officers were still investigating the burglary when another report of an armed theft was filed at 3:20 am at QuikTrip, 2260 First Capitol. A report was made that shots were fired. The suspect had been shot in the arm during an armed burglary, according to officers. Officers took the suspect to hospital, where he was declared dead.

According to police, the man who killed the suspect was in the shop and returning home when the suspect drove on the lot in an SUV which had been stolen the day before. He stopped right in front the door and did not park in any parking spaces.

Witness saw the backpack-carrying suspect run toward QuikTrip, where he turned towards the area with the 26-year old female clerk. While she was screaming, the suspect pulled the clerk towards the front counter. A witness witnessed the suspect grasping a knife at her throat.

He then took out his 9mm pistol and entered the shop. The suspect grabbed his backpack and told the witness, “I have something for you.” The suspect then came from around the counter and approached the witness who then fired several times at the suspect. The suspect fell to his death. Witness and clerk did not suffer any injuries and they both dial 911.

Lance Bush (26-year-old, homeless) has been named as the suspect. He is from St. Louis City. His violent rampage was stopped by an armed citizen, and nobody else was hurt.