Two good guys with concealed guns held a shooting suspect until deputies arrived at Bingo Paradise in Pensacola, Florida. The situation easily could have turned deadly, but thanks to quick-acting civilians no one was injured.
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office reported that 38-year-old suspect Lee David Wilkerson was standing outside the bingo establishment when two females attempted to enter. An altercation ensued, and Wilkerson then allegedly produced a handgun and struck a victim on the head.
Then he reportedly began shooting.
Officials say multiple shots were fired in the parking lot in the direction of the females. After his targets fled, authorities said Wilkerson attempted to dispose of the gun in a dumpster and enter the building. That’s when two armed citizens stepped up.
The pair witnessed the incident and produced their concealed weapons, holding Wilkerson for deputies until they arrived.
Pensacola man arrested after allegedly shooting at women outside of “Bingo Paradise” https://t.co/XDjveGeoer
— FOX10News | WALA (@FOX10News) January 6, 2023
The suspect was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, firing a weapon in public, use/display of a firearm during a felony, aggravated battery/use of a deadly weapon, and trafficking of methamphetamine.
WALA-TV reported that police found meth while searching Wilkerson’s pockets. Deputies also located the gun allegedly fired in a nearby dumpster.
The suspect was booked into the Escambia County Jail with a $206,000 bond.
A witness, Fannie Stanford, told the media outlet that she was sitting on the second row near the front door and saw the incident as it happened. She reported that “a young lady came inside, and she yelled. And I heard her say, ‘They got a gun!’ She went back outside, and there was pop.”
The woman said the manager herded everyone into the back of the building and they locked themselves inside until the situation was resolved. The thankful customer then declared that “nothing’s gonna stop me from playing bingo.”
Despite what so-called political leaders and the mainstream media want the public to believe, law-abiding citizens with firearms stop numerous violent incidents across the country. The right to self-defense underpins the rest, and the rest can easily be rendered meaningless without it.
