Armed robber shot by Pokemon Go player he tried to rob - Polidicks

[quote]LAS VEGAS (AP) — A gunman and his underage driver tried to rob a group of people playing the popular Pokemon Go game, triggering a shootout after one of the players pulled out his own weapon at a Las Vegas park that has become a hot spot for virtual creature hunting. The incident early Monday marked the latest illustration of unintended consequences in everyday life due to the booming popularity of the GPS-powered "augmented reality" game. Las Vegas police spokeswoman Laura Meltzer said the shooting left a Pokemon player and the would-be armed robber hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries. Charges are expected against both that suspect and the juvenile who was driving the SUV. Shortly after 4 a.m., a group of six people were at a public park east of downtown playing the popular smartphone game, which sends players to physical locations to "catch" virtual Pokemon characters. Police said an armed man and the young driver drove up to the group in an SUV and demanded their possessions at gunpoint. One of the Pokemon players who has a concealed weapons permit drew his own gun and the two sides exchanged fire. One person in the Pokemon group was shot once in the stomach and taken to the hospital. Meltzer said it's unclear if that person shot is also the player who had his own gun but that the group of local players knew each other. The man believed to be the suspect also was treated at the hospital for a gunshot wound. How he got to the hospital is not clear, but a matching SUV was found there.[/quote] [url]http://bigstory.ap.org/article/214e1ef67c0544b088a39d3b012a16d3/gunman-gets-shot-pokemon-go-player-he-tried-rob[/url]

[quote]Shortly after [B]4 a.m.[/B], a group of six people were at a public park east of downtown playing the popular smartphone game, which sends players to physical locations to "catch" virtual Pokemon characters. [/quote] I can understand staying out till just after midnight, but 4 a.m. seems just a little too late... Shouldn't be surprised though. I have stayed out till about 2, but we were in a very populated area where there are A LOT of people walking around still playing, kinda neutralizes the ability for the gunman to pick out somebody when there are 40+ people walking about a little area. Glad the group of players had the one person with a permit to conceal carry. Hope he heals fast.

[QUOTE=Firegod522;50778389]I can understand staying out till just after midnight, but 4 a.m. seems just a little too late. Shouldn't be surprised though. Glad the group of players had the one person with a permit to conceal carry. Hope he heals fast.[/QUOTE] Pokemon GO is an excuse for friends to go for a walk. Nobody wants to say "hey lets go for a walk and just talk about shit" so they use pokemon as an excuse

[QUOTE=Firegod522;50778389]I can understand staying out till just after midnight, but 4 a.m. seems just a little too late... Shouldn't be surprised though. I have stayed out till about 2, but we were in a very populated area where there are A LOT of people walking around still playing, kinda neutralizes the ability for the gunman to pick out somebody when there are 40+ people walking about a little area. Glad the group of players had the one person with a permit to conceal carry. Hope he heals fast.[/QUOTE] Since one of them has a gun license I think we are not talking about a bunch of kids staying pass bedtime here.

Ugly situation all around. The fault here obviously lies with the robber, ultimately, but you can't help but wonder whether it would have just been better to give him the damn phones considering a bystander was shot in the stomach as a result of the concealed carry player escalating the situation and starting a firefight. I'd rather see the loss of possessions than the loss of life any day of the week.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50778661]Ugly situation all around. The fault here obviously lies with the robber, ultimately, but you can't help but wonder whether it would have just been better to give him the damn phones considering a bystander was shot in the stomach as a result of the concealed carry player escalating the situation and starting a firefight. I'd rather see the loss of possessions than the loss of life any day of the week.[/QUOTE] I understand the sentiment, but putting myself in the shoes of the CCW holder, how is he/she going to know if the confrontation is really going to end after giving up his/her belongings? People have been robbed, then shot.

Correct me if i'm wrong but aren't stomach shots very dangerous?

[QUOTE=Vaegir Guard;50778786]Correct me if i'm wrong but aren't stomach shots very dangerous?[/QUOTE] The stomach is a major organ, so yes. Although even getting shot in a limb is life-threatening, the thighs are a major arterial cluster.

You don't even need a stomach to live.

[QUOTE=CrimsonChin;50778821]You don't even need a stomach to live.[/QUOTE] It's slightly different when the stomach is punctured and starts leaking stomach acid onto your other delicate organs.

Very true.

[QUOTE=Vaegir Guard;50778786]Correct me if i'm wrong but aren't stomach shots very dangerous?[/QUOTE] Getting shot anywhere apart from your extremities is very dangerous. Your abdomen contains all of your organs, your chest contains your heart and lungs, your head contains your brain, and your upper arms and thighs contain large arteries and veins.

[QUOTE=Vaegir Guard;50778786]Correct me if i'm wrong but aren't stomach shots very dangerous?[/QUOTE] Getting shot anywhere is pretty dangerous. The only time I could say getting shot some where on your body isn't as extreme would be your hand or foot.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50778661]Ugly situation all around. The fault here obviously lies with the robber, ultimately, but you can't help but wonder whether it would have just been better to give him the damn phones considering a bystander was shot in the stomach as a result of the concealed carry player escalating the situation and starting a firefight. I'd rather see the loss of possessions than the loss of life any day of the week.[/QUOTE] Many people on Facepunch would gladly kill someone else to save their possessions, judging from the kind of arguments often thrown around.

they're probably using the colloquial stomach which is usually the small and large intestines, the gut area.

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;50778927]Many people on Facepunch would gladly kill someone else to save their possessions, judging from the kind of arguments often thrown around.[/QUOTE] It's not about saving your possessions, but acting in self defense.

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;50778927]Many people on Facepunch would gladly kill someone else to save their possessions, judging from the kind of arguments often thrown around.[/QUOTE] Hey dude, I work hard for my shit. It's not someone elses to take.

[QUOTE=Ltp0wer;50778745]I understand the sentiment, but putting myself in the shoes of the CCW holder, how is he/she going to know if the confrontation is really going to end after giving up his/her belongings? People have been robbed, then shot.[/QUOTE] The CCW holder decided for everyone in that group how the situation was going to end, which led to someone getting shot. If someone has a gun drawn on you and you try to draw your own, you will not get the first shot off.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50778661]Ugly situation all around. The fault here obviously lies with the robber, ultimately, but you can't help but wonder whether it would have just been better to give him the damn phones considering a bystander was shot in the stomach as a result of the concealed carry player escalating the situation and starting a firefight. I'd rather see the loss of possessions than the loss of life any day of the week.[/QUOTE] normally i'd agree but in this day and age getting your phone stolen is equivalent to getting your computer stolen. if the robber knew what to do with it your life could be ruined. pretty much the same story with your house keys or your wallet. i'd defend that shit with my life

Like it or not, everyone in this situation had their lives at risk at the fault of the robber, and it is preferable that they're the only one who was hurt. EDIT: Didn't realize a bystander was hurt, but the point stands that everyone could've theoretically died once a single gun was introduced, so taking action was a sensible choice.

[QUOTE=Vaegir Guard;50778786]Correct me if i'm wrong but aren't stomach shots very dangerous?[/QUOTE] it depends on whether the shot actually passed through the stomach or was just a gut shot. being shot in the gut sucks ass but it's not going to kill you as long as you actually go to the hospital for it

[QUOTE=Headhumpy;50778927]Many people on Facepunch would gladly kill someone else to save their possessions, judging from the kind of arguments often thrown around.[/QUOTE] I'd gladly defend the life of myself and the ones I love, the motherfucker was pointing a goddamn gun at them. He matched thr aggression with what he was presented and the robber paid for it. If you're going to point a gun at me, and especially someone I care for dearly you might as well have been already shooting. It takes one slip of the finger for him to have accidentally discharged his firearm and struck somebody, which he eventually did. If someone's aggressive enough to rob a group of people with a pistol then who's to say he won't pull the trigger? Fuck a phone. I'm not going to let someone not worth the dirt clinging to the bottom of my shoe threaten my life and get away with it without consequence. Considering he brought a gun to mug these innocent people the options are limitless on his intentions and future actions. The only way to garuntee safety is to immediately match his aggression and incapacitate the threat. Unfortunately a bystander was injured but weighing the options I am glad it was one and not the entire group.

[QUOTE=3picFail;50778991]The CCW holder decided for everyone in that group how the situation was going to end, which led to someone getting shot. If someone has a gun drawn on you and you try to draw your own, you will not get the first shot off.[/QUOTE] not really true, they don't expect people to draw a gun back at them. the point of ccw is to retain an element of surprise, rather than having someone know that you have a gun on you and know to shoot you if you reach for it

If there is a clear intent to kill or injure with a deadly weapon that you can't escape from, you had better act to put him out of action. Don't delay. Better to end up in jail for defending yourself against an obviously lethal intent (where your attacker's lawyer later tells you that their guy "wasn't really planning to use it") - than to end up dead when they do decide to use it.

[QUOTE=3picFail;50778991]The CCW holder decided for everyone in that group how the situation was going to end, which led to someone getting shot. If someone has a gun drawn on you and you try to draw your own, you will not get the first shot off.[/QUOTE] The CCW holder made the decision to draw his weapon which happened to escalate the situation. Without seeing exactly what happened, you can't conclude that that was the wrong move. 1, if you've got a pocket holster, taking out your wallet and taking out a firearm is a similar move. 2, the one guy with the gun could have been focused on one of the other 6 victims. 3, You can't read the mind of the suspect aiming a gun at you. The suspect already made the situation life threatening when he decided to point a gun at people. You can't know what he's going to do next. 4, it very well could have de-escalated the situation and caused the suspects to immediately flee. This happens too. Life isn't a wild west movie where the bad guys are staring you down waiting for your fingers to twitch. Did the permit holder make the wrong move? Who knows without perfect information. It seems to me that if the permit holder didn't do what he did, the two suspects wouldn't be in jail and instead would be out on the streets making more victims. It's not that simple. edit: It seems to me that focusing on the victim's decision rather than the suspect's is kind of fucked in this situation.

As people know I'm very much for gun control but I can't exactly argue that the victim didn't make the right move here. Victim blaming is never an argument for or against anything. It's clearly the robber who's at fault here. I just hope the guy who got shot in the stomach is OK.

[quote]Shortly after 4 a.m., a group of six people were at a public park east of downtown playing the popular smartphone game, which sends players to physical locations to "catch" virtual Pokemon characters.[/quote] I question the life decisions that lead to one playing Pokemon Go at 4 in the morning in vegas. Granted, he could be coming off a shift and thats reasonable but seriously, walking around at that hour to play this game was stupid in of itself

[QUOTE=RG4ORDR;50778910]Getting shot anywhere is pretty dangerous. The only time I could say getting shot some where on your body isn't as extreme would be your hand or foot.[/QUOTE] An ass cheek is the safest place to be shot. No organs or arteries, just fat and muscle.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50778661]Ugly situation all around. The fault here obviously lies with the robber, ultimately, but you can't help but wonder whether it would have just been better to give him the damn phones considering a bystander was shot in the stomach as a result of the concealed carry player escalating the situation and starting a firefight. I'd rather see the loss of possessions than the loss of life any day of the week.[/QUOTE] And I'd rather some punk get shot than steal my stuff. On top of that, I've seen videos of armed robbers shoot who they robbed after getting what they wanted just because. Did escalating this make the situation worse? Maybe. Or maybe he just saved 6 lives. I doubt the guy would have gunned down 6 people, then again people are getting gunned down everywhere now days, so you don't and can't know. All you do know is what you can do. Who knows who else was going to be this guy's victim in the future and end up dead

[QUOTE=Toy_Soldier;50779082] The only way to garuntee safety is to immediately match his aggression and incapacitate the threat. Unfortunately a bystander was injured but weighing the options I am glad it was one and not the entire group.[/QUOTE] This is some dangerous cowboy logic. Maybe the other people in the group want to keep their lives instead of having you decide their precious property is worth risking everyone's lives over so you can satisfy that revenge hard on people who carry around guns seem to have wet dreams about.