Unlucky? Clerk Shoots 2nd Robber in Three Years

By Dean Weingarten

Clerk who Shot Robbers Greyson Mathews
Clerk who Shot Robbers Greyson Mathews
Dean Weingarten
Dean Weingarten

Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)-Grayson Matthews, above, has bad luck.  He has had to defend the family convenience store twice.

Once, back in 2011, he shot a robber who was pretending to have a shotgun.  That guy was wearing a plastic bag over his head with eye holes cut in it.  It must have been hard to see out of.

From journal-news.com:

Matthews told the suspect he kept more money in his front right pocket of his pants. He showed Wright the money, switched it from his right to his left hand, and when Wright’s eyes followed, Matthews told him he kept $200 more under the counter.

That’s when he grabbed a .38-caliber revolver, fired three shots, at least one striking Wright in the left shoulder. Wright raced out of the neighborhood store, ran to a nearby residence and dropped the plastic bag and his weapon — later identified as a piece of aluminum — on the back porch.

Matthews seems quick thinking, and has tactical sense, but his luck changed yesterday,  13 December, when two other men attempted to rob the store.  Matthews got into a gunfight with them.  He almost certainly hit one in the head, while the other has not been arrested.   No description of the suspects has been released.

Matthews was wounded, under the arm, which could be deadly or slight.  He is reported to be in the hospital so it appears to be more than  a “treat and release” type of wound. From wcpo.com:

Sgt. Ed Buns, spokesman for the Hamilton Police Department, said two men entered the store and tried to rob it.

Grayson Matthews, 53, was the clerk on duty when the suspects entered the store. Matthews told police several gunshots were exchanged between himself and at least one of the men.

In early 2012, Matthew’s father used a handgun to chase a robber, who had stabbed him, out of the store.

Matthew’s used a .38 revolver in the 2011 incident.  It is not clear what type of firearm he used yesterday.

Luck plays an important part in gun fights, more than many would like to believe.   Get in enough gunfights and your luck will run out.   Training, good tactics, and good equipment can expand and extend your luck, but they cannot make you invincible and your luck infinite.

I pray that Grayson Matthew’s luck comes back, that his wound is not too serious, and that he completely recovers.

c2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included. Link to Gun Watch

About Dean Weingarten;

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.

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RDNK

In Il you are ‘allowed’ to keep a handgun on your own property ? Does anyone else have a problem with that statement ? Illinois ‘allows’ people to keep a handgun on their own property ! That’s real white of the son of a bitches ain’t it ?

RDNK

Too bad the clerk got hit. I hope hes OK ! He needs to get a 45ACP and put in some range time with it. Two center mass and one to the head ! That ends criminal careers everytime !!!

Eric

Love stories where crime doesn’t pay , too bad he got hit though . In NY , CA , MA , IL , CT , NJ , this may have been a different story and the clerk was bound and killed instead . AZ needs to keep the Kalifornian anti’s out .

Dr. Strangelove

In IL you are allowed to keep a gun on your own property and they have a strong castle doctrine, although the CCW restrictions still suck.