From - Fri Aug 14 19:29:47 1998 Received: from broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (root@broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca [198.169.128.1]) by skatter.USask.Ca (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id JAA07631 for ; Fri, 7 Aug 1998 09:34:21 -0600 (CST) Received: from riverview.net (dns1.riverview.net [206.250.30.2]) by broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id JAA26663 for ; Fri, 7 Aug 1998 09:25:34 -0600 Message-Id: <199808071525.JAA26663@broadway.sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca> Received: from my-computer by riverview.net with SMTP (IPAD 1.14) id 5125200 ; Fri, 07 Aug 98 11:32:11 UTC From: "RJK Sr." <2a.rkba@riverview.net> To: "Skeeter Abell-Smith" Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 11:36:50 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: Because I Was Armed August 1998 Reply-to: rjk.sr@riverview.net Priority: normal X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.01b) Status: X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 Because I Was Armed August 1998 In this column we report incidents in which victims of criminal attack have repelled one ormore assailants with the help of firearms. Each true incident has been verified by news accounts and if possible, interviews with the victims involved. Names given may have been changed for privacy reasons or to protect the victims from retaliation. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 0 ne day in 1990, Dennis Grehl, a pharmacist at Redford Pharmacy in Detroit, Michigan, had come from behind his counter to assist two customers. One man said he was looking for foot powder and skin lotion, while the other had asked where he could find cough drops. Grehl suddenly found himself facedown on the floor, a gun to the back of his head. Nearby lay a co-worker who had likewise been ordered to the floor. The thieves removed $300 from Grehl's wallet and another $600 from the store. As they moved about over him, Grehl didn't know what they'd do next. He didn't know if he'd live or die. The only thing he did know was that, if he survived, he never wanted to be in that position again. "That's a position you don't want to be in:' says Grehl. "it's absolute, complete helplessness--you're not sure if they're going to eliminate witnesses:' The thieves fled with the money and were never caught. Grehl lost some cash that day, but gained some resolve. He decided he would never again be a victim. Grehl is an NRA member and a carry permit holder. He had been trained to handle a pistol in the U.S. Army while in Military Police School at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Grehl had earlier inherited a pistol, a Beretta chambered in .32 ACP from his father. He now began wearing it in a holster at the small of his back. He decided to use it if he had to. On Saturday, January 18, 1997, he had to. That day Grehl and a long-time assistant were working behind the counter. Things had more or less been quiet, though the neighborhood around the pharmacy had continued to deteriorate, a victim of urban blight. The pistol Grehl carried was not the only means of defense to which he and the pharmacy had resorted following the robbery. Both a panic button and a buzzer to control admittance had been installed at the drugstore. Employees were now prohibited from working alone and were more cautious, seeing each other to their cars at the end of the work day. It was early afternoon, shortly after 1:30 p.m. Grehl was on the phone speaking to a customer when a man wearing sneakers, jeans and a green windbreaker slipped into the store. Grehl's assistant moved to the right of the L-shaped counter to wait on him. As she approached, the man lifted his shirt, displaying a gun, and said, "Give me the money, bitch. His attention on the phone conversation, Grehl didn't realize what was happening. He was at the other end of the counter as his co-worker began removing bills from the register. In a ploy to gain his attention, the woman withdrew small bills and dropped them on the floor. The resulting commotion caused Grehl to look up. At first he thought it was a regular customer getting change. In a moment, though, he realized the what was going on. The thief moved towards the register, yelling at Grehl's assistant, "I'II get that and a lot more!" Grehl dropped the phone, reached behind his back and drew the Beretta as he stepped forward. The robber turned to face him and their eyes locked. Neither was going to back down. The moment of truth had arrived. The robber snatched his gun from beneath his shirt and began to raise it. But Grehl raised his an instant sooner and squeezed off one round to the head.The thief fell, never to rise again. As the smoke cleared, Grehl put the pistol "on safe:' His co-worker dialed 9-1-1. Nine minutes later, the police arrived. Grehl was questioned by police that day. By Monday the county prosecutor's office called to say that the shooting had been ruled a justifiable homicide. They reached Grehl at work. He had come back to work his regular sh ift, not wanting the incident to drive him from the life he had made for himself and his family. Bullet-deflecting plexiglass now extends up from the pharmacy counter while armor plating has been affixed to the counter's front. Grehl's pistol was confiscated as evidence and not returned to him for two months. He purchased a Smith & Wesson 9x19 mm to use in the meantime. Family, friends, neighbors--even complete strangers who've read his story--have offered Grehl their support. Grehl doesn't regret what he did, but coming to terms with such an event is never easy. "I can't say I'm glad I did it-killsomebody:' he says."But I'm glad it didn't turn out the way it could have. "To this date I still don't always sleep well at night, but I'm still the one who survived."