Marysville, Washington police reported a homeowner who did everything right when he came face-to-face with a wanted criminal, putting his concealed carry permit to the test.
The homeowner, Joe Hemrich, said it took years of training to teach him how to stay calm in an otherwise scary situation.
“I swing the door open and say, hey! He turned and that’s when I said, put your hands in the air,” Hemrich said.
Hemrich suddenly found himself staring straight into the eyes of a man with four warrants out for his arrest.
At the time, of course, Hemrich didn’t know that.
All he knew was the guy wielded a potentially lethal baton and was four feet away from his child’s bedroom window.
The father of three quickly crouched in a shooting stance in his doorway, holding his handgun on the intruder.
“This the first time in my life it has ever come out of a holster, when I wasn’t at a range,” he said. “I train so I know exactly where it is, exactly how to pull it out, whether my finger is going on the trigger.”
Hemrich said it’s that extensive training and comfort with his weapon that allowed him to focus on the man in front of him, not on his gun, “which is why no one got shot last night,” he said.
Hemrich said he’s heard the horror stories of what can happen in situations where homeowners confront criminals. Good Samaritans can wind up hurting others and Hemrich was determined not to be one of those people.
“You have to know how to use your gun. If not, you’re just a liability,” he stressed. “I carry a firearm to protect myself, my family, my community with the intentions of never having to use it.”
Surveillance video captured Hemrich walk the suspect at gunpoint to the front of his yard, ordering the man to the ground and holding him until police arrived.
“I could see there was a good-size knife sticking out the top of his backpack,” he said.
Hemrich noted that the entire altercation lasted about five minutes. It was the longest five minutes of his life.
Marysville police said Hemrich did everything right. Most importantly, he complied with officer’s commands when they arrived on scene.
Another happy ending for the concealed carry community that we at iconcealed.com are proud to report on!
