Express Oil Change in Decatur (Bessemer: theatre, place to live, store)

[Southlander]

According to someone on another board, the bullet entered a house and a room where a child had just left. There may be more to the story.

[33458]

Originally Posted by HB2HSV

Agreed that a pretty lame reason for being fired.

But....

There's an argument to be made that John Cagle did not "need" to fire the shots.

• The cashier was not in imminent danger of losing her life.
• The robber was not shooting at him.
• The robber probably panicked as John Cagle & another man yelled at him, attracting too much attention.

BTW, I am glad that John Cagle has a gun on him, so he could protect himself if the robber begin to shoot at him. But...

• Did he have the gun on him while he's working?
• If so, is this against the store's policy?
• Does he have concealed carry weapon (CCW) permit?

I don't know if that's the "official" reason of getting fired "....for leaving the property to help.." I would highly doubt that, but if it is, that's pretty lame I agree. I also wonder what did the Decatur PD charged him with, and how long did he had to serve behind bars?

Only one disagreement with this post, because the rest - valid points, all - and so far, unanswered.

IF the robber in fact had his firearm pointed at the cashier, her life was in danger. Imminent danger, right there. If robber was busy gathering the loot, gun not being brandished...no longer a real case for self-defense, with respect to protecting another person.

Pesky, those big rules in that little book.

But either the fellow is a rusty sniper or has watched too many Clint Eastwood movies...bullets gone willy-nilly are never a good thing. How far away was he to think...warning or intentional, execution was off-the-mark...pun intended.
It bites that he was fired and unfortunate that he was reckless.

Need more info.

[zenjenn]

And by the way, I once was robbed at gunpoint on the job, and the Alabama company that employed me fired me, the victim, as a matter of policy

Huh? How does a company come up with this policy? Concern that it might be an inside job?

I can't really pass a judgment on this situation based on this article, but I can understand why the guy is behind bars. Whether he was justified or not is something that needs to be decided in court - when all the evidence is presented. While I have no moral problem with someone having and using a gun to defend life, our society has on obligation to make sure that our right to bear arms is used judiciously, and not make the decision based on the content of a newspaper article. He was reckless enough to miss the robber... was he also reckless enough to have potentially killed the cashier? Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. When someone shoots a gun at another person, it is reasonable for the law to detain that person until they can suitably determine what actually transpired, to check his weapon permit, etc.

If this was literally the only reason he was fired, I agree that the firing was inappropriate, but it's also very possible that the guy has a history of doing things without thinking and that this was the last straw. Maybe they didn't know he had a gun at work and they really didn't appreciate being in the dark about that, but they chose "leaving the property" as his reason for termination so when the guy looks for a new job, it's a little more diplomatic than "he was packing heat at work." Who knows?

I don't know. But I don't think there's enough information in this article alone to justify slandering and hurting someone's business.

[33458]

Man Arrested And Fired After Aiding Robbery Victim - WHNT (http://www.whnt.com/decatur-fired-arrested-robbery-victim-,0,3484104.story - broken link)

[harry chickpea]

And by the way, I once was robbed at gunpoint on the job, and the Alabama company that employed me fired me, the victim, as a matter of policy


Huh? How does a company come up with this policy? Concern that it might be an inside job?

That was the stated reason. The real reason came out a couple of years later - the new "golden boy" director of operations was clipping, and he found ways to fire those people who could have reported his actions. He had been thwarted getting me completely ousted a couple of times already. There is more to the story, but this is getting off-topic. Just realize that "right-to-work" states strip all rights from employees that aren't protected by Federal statute.

[HsvMike]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

B***S***. Anyone who does so RISKS that fate, but death is an extreme punishment to be applying with such a broad brush. And by the way, I once was robbed at gunpoint on the job, and the Alabama company that employed me fired me, the victim, as a matter of policy. Southlander knows the company involved. Since AL is a right-to-work state, I had no legal recourse against the company. Sometimes life socks.

Hey, I have had a gun pulled on me while I was at work as well. I have had to carry for certain past jobs, but that wasn't one of them. If anyone pulls a gun, they should know the consequences of it. You own every bullet that comes out of the gun, regardless where it goes. Death is an extreme punishment but that girl didn't choose to have a gun pulled on her, and who knows if the robber would have killed her before he left. It has happened before. All I am saying is I'd rather the robber be dead than the innocent person. Maybe put a little fear into criminals rather than the other way around.

[harry chickpea]

I have no beef with natural consequences. In my way of thinking, if a criminal gets killed in the act, oh well. What I don't agree with is a premeditated decision that this is always a good thing. That gets us into a whole dark territory that is less than civilized.

[HsvMike]

I hear what you are saying. I don't think it is always a good thing, but it is refreshing to see someone being selfless enough to maybe give their own life for a complete stranger. But I can't wait to see how this all plays out.

[DvlsAdvc8]

I wonder how opinions might be different if one of Cagle's rounds ended up in an innocent bystander.

This is a risk vs reward situation - nothing else. The risks far outweigh the reward. If the guy is running off... let him run.

That said, I'm not sure he should be fired over it.

[HB2HSV]

Originally Posted by convextech

I plan to boycott the business and am going to spread the word, and take it to the top.

Shame on you, Express Oil Change!

A better way is to circulate a petition, have thousands of people sign it, publicize it over the local TV to generate a lot of publicity. Force the company to hire him back!


Otherwise you're just penalize other employees as they would have no income otherwise.