A common argument from pro-gun advocates in response to mass shootings in public places is that the presence of a “good guy with a gun,” such as an armed security guard, will even the odds and can potentially end a mass shooting before it even begins.
Unfortunately, when an armed security guard at a bar in a suburb south of Chicago used his handgun to stop a potential mass shooting, he was mistakenly confused as the suspect and shot dead by the first police officers to respond to the shooting.
Shootout at a bar
WGN9 reported that security was compelled to kick out a group of unruly drunken men from Manny’s Blue Room Bar around 4 am on Sunday, only to have at least one of those men return to the bar moments later with a gun and open fire.
A 26-year-old armed security guard named Jemel Roberson returned fire and managed to apprehend the suspected shooter outside the bar, holding him at gunpoint on the ground with a knee on his back until the police could arrive.
Sadly, the first officer to respond thought that Roberson was actually the suspected shooter and immediately opened fire on the security guard, striking and killing him.
“(Roberson) had somebody on the ground with his knee in back, with his gun in his back like, ‘Don’t move,'” described witness Adam Harris. Harris added that when the police arrived, “Everybody was screaming out, ‘Security!’ He was a security guard. And they still did their job, and saw a black man with a gun, and basically killed him.”
In addition to Roberson, four other individuals suffered gunshot wounds in the incident — including the suspected shooter — though none of those wounds were believed to be life-threatening.
Law enforcement response
There has been little information released by law enforcement officials regarding the incident just yet, though the Cook County Sheriff’s Office noted that Roberson possessed a state-issued Firearms Owner ID card, but not a concealed carry permit. The Midlothian Police Department released a statement acknowledging that two of their officers were first on the scene and one had opened fire on the security guard.
“A Midlothian officer encountered a subject with a gun and was involved in an officer-involved shooting,” explained MPD Chief Daniel Delaney. “The subject the officer shot was later pronounced deceased at an area hospital.”
The Cook County Sheriff’s Office has taken the lead in investigating the initial shooting at the bar prior to the arrival of police officers while the State Police Public Integrity Task Force has opened an investigation into the officer-involved shooting portion of the incident.
[show_poll poll_id=1035]
This is nothing short of a tragic case of mistaken identity, likely a case of “shoot first and ask question later” and potentially even one of racial bias, though details remain to be sorted out. Making matters a bit worse is that Roberson was indeed the quintessential “good guy with a gun,” an upstanding and musically-talented citizen active in several local churches who planned to become a police officer himself in the future.
Hopefully, the investigations into this officer-involved shooting will be conducted quickly. If it is determined that the responding officers were at fault in the fatal shooting, they should be held accountable for their actions.
435 Responses
Fantastic post. Awesome.
I think this is a real great article.Much thanks again. Keep writing.
I value the article.Much thanks again. Want more.
Looking forward to reading more. Great article.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…
Having read this I thought it was extremely informative. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together. I once again find myself spending way too much time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
I’m excited to discover this great site. I want to to thank you for your time due to this fantastic read!! I definitely really liked every little bit of it and I have you saved as a favorite to see new information in your web site.
This blog was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something that helped me. Thanks!
I really enjoy the blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
This is a very good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Short but very accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article!
Hi there! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after going through many of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m certainly pleased I found it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back frequently!
Hi, I do believe this is a great website. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to come back yet again since I book marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help others.
Hi, I do think this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to revisit yet again since i have book-marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
I’m very pleased to find this website. I wanted to thank you for your time for this wonderful read!! I definitely loved every bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new things on your blog.
Right here is the right web site for anybody who would like to find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost tough to argue with you (not that I really will need to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a topic that has been written about for years. Wonderful stuff, just excellent!
Appreciate you sharing, great post.Really thank you! Much obliged.
Aw, this was an extremely good post. Spending some time and actual effort to produce a superb article… but what can I say… I put things off a lot and don’t seem to get nearly anything done.
I do agree with all of the ideas you have presented in your post. They are really convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are too short for starters. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.
Aw, this was an incredibly nice post. Taking the time and actual effort to create a very good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and never seem to get anything done.
bookmarked!!, I really like your blog!
Very good article! We will be linking to this particularly great content on our site. Keep up the great writing.
I want to to thank you for this fantastic read!! I absolutely enjoyed every little bit of it. I’ve got you bookmarked to check out new things you post…
I have to thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this website. I am hoping to check out the same high-grade blog posts by you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own, personal website now 😉
This excellent website really has all of the information I wanted about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Nice post. I learn something totally new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon every day. It’s always useful to read through content from other authors and use a little something from other websites.
Howdy! This blog post couldn’t be written much better! Looking through this article reminds me of my previous roommate! He always kept preaching about this. I most certainly will forward this article to him. Fairly certain he’s going to have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
Great web site you’ve got here.. It’s difficult to find quality writing like yours nowadays. I honestly appreciate individuals like you! Take care!!
Next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesn’t fail me as much as this one. After all, I know it was my choice to read, nonetheless I actually thought you would probably have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something that you can fix if you were not too busy searching for attention.
Right here is the right site for anyone who wants to understand this topic. You know a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I personally would want to…HaHa). You definitely put a brand new spin on a subject that’s been discussed for a long time. Great stuff, just great!
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always helpful to read content from other writers and use something from other sites.
I blog quite often and I seriously thank you for your information. Your article has truly peaked my interest. I am going to bookmark your blog and keep checking for new details about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed as well.
This site was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Kudos!
I blog frequently and I seriously thank you for your content. The article has really peaked my interest. I’m going to take a note of your blog and keep checking for new information about once a week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.
I absolutely love your website.. Excellent colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself? Please reply back as I’m looking to create my own personal blog and would love to find out where you got this from or what the theme is called. Thank you!
Hello, There’s no doubt that your blog may be having internet browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to give you a quick heads up! Besides that, great blog!
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and also the rest of the website is very good.
I was very pleased to uncover this website. I wanted to thank you for your time due to this fantastic read!! I definitely savored every bit of it and I have you saved to fav to see new stuff on your blog.
I love it whenever people come together and share ideas. Great website, keep it up!
Hi, I do think this is a great web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will return yet again since I book-marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide others.
Say, you got a nice blog post. Keep writing.
This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Kudos!