Wild surveillance video from inside a Michigan convenience store captured the moment a customer gunned down an armed robber. The hero managed to calmly fire seven shots — all while holding a six-pack of light beer.
An alleged robber, later identified as 35-year-old Cordelius Anthony Martin of Dowagiac, entered the Stone Lake Marathon Mini Mart with obvious ill intent when he walked inside dressed in black and pulled a black mask over his face. But, he would quickly learn that he had picked the wrong place to rob when he selected the Cass County gas station in the town of Cassopolis in southwest Michigan.
“You know why I’m here,” Martin allegedly said, announcing himself to the clerk, according to police. He then went behind the counter to threaten the store clerk with a weapon, unaware of a customer who appeared to be going to the register with a six-pack of beer, The Blaze reported.
As the unnamed customer looked on, the convenience store employee put his hands up while being threatened by the suspect. Seeing that the clerk was obviously in distress and feeling fearful of the armed suspect, the hero customer – who has a valid concealed carry permit – calmly took out his gun, pointed it at the suspect, and fired seven shots — all while holding his six-pack of Miller Lite beer.
Initially, the unnamed hero customer fired three shots. He then moved to the side of the counter and shot three more times before firing a seventh shot at the suspected thief. Although one of the shots appeared to hit a liquor bottle, other bullets struck Cordelius Anthony Martin in the arm, back, and face before the alleged robber finally fell to the ground.
Sadly, even after being riddled with bullets, the attempted robber seemed undeterred. Instead of giving up, Martin allegedly started crawling toward the armed customer who then ran to his car for more ammunition, but the hero wasn’t giving up either. After retrieving another loaded magazine for his gun, the armed customer held the suspect at gunpoint until the police could arrive at the crime scene.
When law enforcement arrived, they found Cordelius Anthony Martin seriously injured. He was taken to the hospital, where he remained for approximately three weeks before being released into police custody. He was hit with three charges, including armed robbery, and ordered held on a $100,000 bond.
Although it turned out that Martin did not have a gun during the robbery, he did threaten the clerk with a box cutter, according to police. The armed hero who stopped Martin allegedly told police that, while he couldn’t see what weapon the robber had in his hand, he could sense the clerk’s panic and saw the fear on his face, prompting him to take action.
Nearly a month after the attempted robbery of the gas station, the surveillance video was released, and it didn’t paint a good picture of the suspect. Making matters worse for Cordelius Anthony Martin, he is reportedly a three-time felon, meaning he could face up to life in prison for attempted robbery, it was reported at the time the footage was released.
Meanwhile, the hero customer was waiting to find out if he would face charges for the shooting. “In Michigan, obviously, we do have defense of others as part of the law in Michigan, that you can defend others if they’re in a situation that there’s dangerous force being used against them,” Cass County Prosecutor Victor Fitz explained. “And certainly in this case, we’ll be looking at the facts in regard to that.”
Although the store clerk did not want to appear on camera, he told WOOD-TV that the armed customer, who lives about four blocks from the gas station, “saved my life.” Indeed, that’s how it usually goes — when a hero brings a halt to a potentially violent crime, it’s often with the use of a gun. Thankfully, we can defend ourselves and others with firearms due to the rights afforded to us by the Second Amendment, and stories like this one are a good reminder of why that right is so important. It must be protected so we can protect ourselves and others.
