Phoenix Gun Owner Thwarts Attempted Bank Robbery

An attempted bank robbery in Phoenix was thwarted by a quick-thinking business owner who used his firearm to shoot one of the suspects.

According to ABC15, two armed suspects wearing masks entered the Desert Schools Credit Union at around 3 p.m. and attempted to rob it.

Witnesses said the business owner next door realized what was happening, grabbed his firearm and waited for the suspects to come out of the bank.

“He took the keys out of the car because they left the car running. And so he took the keys out of the car and kind of, I guess, he stood behind it waiting for them (the suspects) to come out,” said Therea Sessler, owner of Fix Salon.

When they came out, the business owner opened fire, shooting one of the suspects. The suspect who was shot by the business owner was transported to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.

The second suspect fled the scene, stealing a vehicle at gunpoint and damaging cars as he fled, ABC15 reports. Eventually, he hit a mini-van and ran into a wall. The people in the mini-van were taken to an area hospital to be treated for minor injuries, and the suspect was arrested.

As BearingArms.com notes, police said the business owner was legally justified in drawing his firearm and is not expected to face charges stemming from the incident.

“What scares me the most is I’m just a couple doors down,” Eduardo Lopez, who works near the bank, told ABC15. “It could’ve been me.”

[h/t to BearingArms.com]