Ryan G Thomas • Aug 05, 2021

What's Up Sheepdogs? Ryan here with Tampa Carry.

On September 4, 2012, I received a phone call from my best friend's wife at 11:30 at night. It wasn't that. You have a sick mind. I woke up, saw that it was her, and hung up because I'm not answering the phone at 11:30 at night. Then she called me back immediately. What does that tell you? Something is wrong. I answered the phone, and she said, “Ryan, Michael killed someone.” 

"Michael Killed Someone"

My buddy Mike is an executive chef at a fancy restaurant in Tampa. One night, Mike was leaving work when he was approached by a man who appeared to have a pistol under his jacket. “Give me everything you got, or I’m gonna f@&$ you up,” the robber demanded. 

Mike drew his pistol from the appendix position and fired into the robber's chest. Mike did what he was supposed to do. After confirming that the threat was no longer a threat, he went back inside the restaurant and waited for the police to arrive. 

Mike was very confident about the shooting because the robber had a weapon and surely there had to be witnesses. 

When The Police Arrived

When the police arrived, Mike explained what happened (which he should not have done) and was brought into the police station for questioning. As the interview progressed, Mike realized that his clear-cut shooting might not be going so well. Turns out, the restaurant Mike works at does not have a security camera facing the employee parking lot, no one witnessed the events leading up to the shooting, and the gun that Mike thought the robber had was nowhere to be found. 

After several hours of questioning, Mike was charged and booked. 

What do you think his bond was set at for self-defense shooting? It was $50,000, and this was the exact reason Mike's wife was calling me so late at night. She needed cash to get Mike out of jail. 

When Mike Got Out of Jail...

The next day, I got Mike out of jail, and we spent the entire day talking to attorneys to figure out who he was going to hire. What would you guess the minimum deposit is to hire an attorney for a shooting? It was $25,000 up front. One of the attorneys estimated the criminal case to cost between $75,000 and $100,000. That's a lot of money, and it doesn’t even include the civil lawsuit or damages Mike might be liable to pay the robber’s family if he loses. Frankly speaking, Mike didn’t have the money, so he immediately sold his home and moved in with his parents. Can you imagine how stressful it would be to have three little children and your wife living with your parents while awaiting the results of a criminal trial? 

After receiving a $70,000 loan from his father and $30,000 from selling his home, Mike finally had enough money for the criminal trial. Mike was eventually acquitted. However, Mike spent over $80,000 to prove his innocence in court. 

You should have received two takeaways from this story. First, using your firearm in self-defense is a life-changing decision that should not be taken lightly. Second, you need to have a plan for what you're going to do before you press the trigger, and that's what this training's all about.

That's all I have for today. So until next time keep training and stay safe...

Ryan G. Thomas

P.S. You’re one step away from getting your Florida concealed carry permit….FAST & EASY…

And for a limited time you can watch the concealed carry course online for free... Click here to get started...