On Saturday an 86-year-old concealed carry permit holder in Illinois was entering a Chicago area AT&T store when he noticed it was being robbed. He initially stayed out front and eventually went inside. The robber fled out the back door and the man fired at him believing him to be a danger to those outside. At the same time a police officer was coming around the back of the store and hear the shots and not knowing where they originated he took cover and gave up his chase of the criminal. Later they caught the criminal and arrested him. No charged were filed against the 86-year-old permit holder.
There are a few things wrong with this picture. You should not chase anyone and you certainly should not be firing at a fleeing criminal. We, as permit holders, are not police officers. We carry to protect ourselves and others from immediate danger, not to shoot at criminals fleeing the scene of an armed robbery. Had the criminal been engaged in trying to harm someone then I’d say by all means open up on him, but the scenario as laid out by the Chicago Tribune and Crestwood Police Department does not paint that picture. So do what you must to protect yourself and others in imminent danger, but leave the police chases to the police.