Armed Citizen Stops Murderous Carjacking Spree in Ohio

We go to the gas station several million times a day. It is part of our routine. As ordinary as filling up your car or van can be, sometimes unusual things happen because gas stations bring all kinds of people together. Some customers want to get gas and go. Some visitors need a restroom and a coffee break. Some criminals want to murder bystanders and steal cars and a convenience store located just off the highway is their hunting ground. In this case, an armed driver in Marengo, Ohio stopped a carjacking-murder spree that started hours before and miles away.

It was about a half an hour after sunset on Sunday, February 26th. A man was driving a U-Haul van and he pulled into a gas station just off the highway. The gas station is about 35 miles north of Columbus, Ohio. The news articles aren’t clear if the van’s driver was sitting in the driver’s seat or if he was standing at the side of the van. We know the driver heard gunshots as a murderer shot an innocent woman who was filling up her minivan at the pumps. The murderer then shot at the driver of the rented van. What made this attack different is that this driver was armed. He shot back.

The armed defender who was driving the U-Haul van was not hit by the attacker’s gunfire. The defender’s shots struck and disabled the murderer. The defender stopped shooting when the threat stopped. He stayed at the scene and called 911 for help. The defender gave a statement to the police when they arrived.

What the defender didn’t know and couldn’t know was that he was the stopping point for a long string of violence.

EMTs tried to treat the wounded woman and the armed attacker. Both were declared dead at the scene. Eventually, the police connected the armed attacker to three other carjackings, attempted home invasions, and armed attacks that happened in the last few hours. The carjackings started in Columbus where the attacker also shot at his victims.

The news articles don’t mention if the defender had his concealed-carry license. Ohio is now a constitutional carry state so the defender didn’t need a permit to conceal his legally owned firearm in public. It is obvious that the driver of the van had every right to stop the murderous attack against him. What is less obvious to new concealed carriers is that the defender had the right to stop the murder of other innocent victims. The defender didn’t act in time to save the woman driving the minivan. He did save other unknown victims that were waiting down the road.

This story is one of many that go under-reported by the mainstream media because it shows a positive image of a law-abiding gun owner defending their life and their family. It is our responsibility at AmmoLand to report these stories to you. While we will continue to report these stories, groups like the Crime Prevention Research Center, led by Dr. John Lott, are fastidious in studying the use of firearms for self-defense. Stay up to date with all news on self-defense by following CPRC and Ammoland.

About Rob Morse

Rob Morse writes about gun rights at Ammoland, at Clash Daily, at Second Call Defense, and on his SlowFacts blog. He hosts the Self Defense Gun Stories Podcast and co-hosts the Polite Society Podcast. Rob was an NRA pistol instructor and combat handgun competitor.