Once again, a passenger on public transportation has been shot in what police have ruled as self-defense.
In Tallahassee, Florida, a 69-year-old City Taxi driver decided to take “one more fare” before heading home, according to police reports. He picked up an 18-year-old who needed to go to Walmart to cash a check from work, and during the drive, the rider accused the driver of driving slowly to make more money.
The argument came to a head a few feet from the store’s entrance when the passenger began punching the driver in the back of the head. The driver pulled out his handgun and shot the young man once while they were both in the car. Witnesses said the taxi driver got out and continued walking between the taxi and the kid he had shot. WCTV reported the cab driver had just started carrying a gun the month before because of previous passenger behavior. With all the rideshare and taxi drivers that have been attacked in the past year, I can see why.
“There’s a shooting at the Walmart on North Monroe,” a woman told 911. “a guy got out, and he was screaming, and the van driver said I’m going to shoot ya again!” Another caller said, “don’t shoot him again — have mercy.”
The State Attorney’s Office said that the driver’s use of force was self-defense, and the passenger admitted to police that he had “put his hands” on the driver.
In these stories, we are constantly breaking down the legal aspects of the encounter. With this one, let’s go over some statements made about helping the shooting victim.
First and foremost, you should never get in the middle of what could be considered an active shooter situation. The cab driver was pacing around with a loaded gun, and these people did not know what led up to the shooting.
“I don’t know if someone needs to perform CPR. Someone’s scared because the gun guy is still there, but the guy is having a hard time breathing,” a caller told dispatchers.
Everyone who carries a gun should take a “Stop The Bleed” and CPR class. The first thing you learn is how to know when to perform CPR. This kid may have had a hard time breathing, but he was talking, so that means he was still breathing on his own. That could quickly change, and you will need to constantly reassess the victim.
A bystander asked, “You want water?” If someone is shot or injured, you do not give the person anything to eat or drink, and not one caller said anything about his wound or tried to stop any bleeding. Bleeding is the number one cause of preventable death from trauma, and one in five people could have survived if their hemorrhaging was quickly gotten under control.
The number one thing that applies to any situation where you might need to provide first aid is to make sure the scene is safe before entering! If you are the first or one of the first people to arrive, assess what is going on around you and make sure you consider your personal safety because you cannot help someone if you get injured. Also, never assume that just because there are other people already assisting the victim, it is safe to jump in. Everyone’s adrenaline is going to be pumping, and do you want to risk your life running into a chaotic situation without doing your own assessment first?
