Valdosta, Georgia – A Georgia man who used his firearm to stop a violent attack inside a Dollar General will face no charges, according to police. The armed shopper intervened when a man began beating a woman and her teenage daughter, then fired when the attacker turned on him.
The October 1 shooting in Valdosta illustrates exactly why the right to carry matters. A woman needed immediate protection, and an armed citizen was there to provide it. Police Chief Leslie Manahan credited the shopper with stopping the assault and preventing further injuries.
Armed Citizen Intervenes During Beating
According to the Valdosta Police Department’s account, reported by WCTV, officers were dispatched to the Dollar General in the 2100 block of Bemiss Road around 4:50 p.m. after a caller reported a man beating a woman. While officers were responding, dispatch received another update: someone had been shot.
Investigators said Tevin Jay Love, 32, entered the store while his girlfriend was shopping with her teenage daughter and began striking the woman in the head. When the daughter attempted to stop the assault, Love struck her, too.
A 28-year-old man shopping in the store witnessed the attack and drew his firearm to stop it. The woman was able to get away.
Police said the shopper attempted to hold Love at gunpoint, but Love charged him and began hitting him. The shopper fired one round, striking Love in the torso.
Responding officers located the armed citizen in the parking lot and detained him without incident. Inside, they found Love wounded and being restrained by another person. Officers provided first aid before he was taken to a hospital. The woman also received hospital treatment and was later released, according to the initial police account.
Police Say Defender Will Not Face Charges
In its October 12 follow-up, WALB reported that police confirmed the shopper would not face charges.
Love was released from the hospital October 9 and taken to the Lowndes County Jail. He faces charges of terroristic threats, aggravated assault, simple battery and simple assault.
Manahan publicly praised the citizen’s intervention, saying his actions stopped the attack and prevented the woman from suffering additional violent injuries. The chief also recognized that the shopper put himself in danger by stepping in.
Drawing the firearm allowed the woman to escape. The shopper fired after the attacker charged and began striking him, according to investigators.
The firearm served both purposes gun owners understand well: stopping violence against another person and providing the means to defend yourself when the threat turns toward you.
The Right to Carry Protects Real People
Gun-control arguments routinely treat carrying a firearm into an ordinary business as a problem waiting to happen. For the woman being beaten inside this store, an armed shopper provided an opportunity to get away.
Someone had already called 911. Officers were already coming. The attack still required an immediate response from someone at the scene.
The Second Amendment protects the right of ordinary Americans to keep and bear arms. Exercising that right can become critically important during something as routine as an afternoon shopping trip.
No one should have to overpower a violent attacker with bare hands to survive a beating. Nor should a person’s ability to protect a mother and daughter depend entirely on how quickly responding officers can reach a store.
In Valdosta, an armed citizen intervened, the woman escaped, and police say the defender faces no charges. That is a defensive gun use worth reporting, and a practical reason to defend the right to carry.
About Duncan Johnson:
Duncan Johnson is a lifelong firearms enthusiast and unwavering defender of the Second Amendment—where “shall not be infringed” means exactly what it says. A graduate of George Mason University, he enjoys competing in local USPSA and multi-gun competitions whenever he’s not covering the latest in gun rights and firearm policy. Duncan is a regular contributor and editor-in-chief for AmmoLand News and is responsible for AmmoLand’s daily gun-rights reporting and industry coverage.
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