Unarmed guard stops AR15 shooter in Buffalo

[Cattledog]

?resize=1200%2C743

The gunman fires a shot into the wall and the guard appears startled. He turns around toward a glass door. Other workers inside also react, appearing to try to figure out which way to go.

Then the guard gestures to the people behind the desk, then rushes straight at the gunman, grabbing at him and the rifle and pushing him into a tiny vestibule, between the front door and the desk. The guard pushes him into a steel door next to the desk. The two struggle, with the guard behind the gunman holding onto the firearm.

The guard then forces the man toward the front door, with his arm at the man's neck. The steel door by the desk opens, and two men, including another security guard, come out.

Videos of the incident at the link below.

https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/dramatic-videos-show-moments-when-clinic-guards-stopped-gunman-with-ar-15/article_3c8623b4-62c3-11ed-bbd1-6f3da50a69d1.html

[Aristus]

1. The guard showed immeasurable courage.

But I wonder if he might have been helped by the likelihood that assault rifle crazies don't like to get up close and personal. They use rapid-fire semi-automatic assault rifles instead of knives or bows and arrows because they're too cowardly to get close enough to cause multiple casualties with those weapons.

I wonder if the shooter was startled enough by the guard being so close that he froze instead of opening fire.

[Dustlawyer]

35. I wonder if the armed cops in Uvalde feel worse after

watching this unarmed security guard? Hope they do.

[Moostache]

48. Those cowards at Uvalde should feel shame every second they live...forever.

That Uvalde behavior was the most cowardly thing I have ever seen and the loss of life it contributed to is unforgiveable. I truly hope those cowards never forget or overcome the shame that they put on themselves that day.

[Straw Man]

37. Agreed.

However, at that range and in those circumstances, "fight" is actually a better choice than "flight." The conventional wisdom in a face-to-face encounter is "flee a knife, charge a gun." Had the guard fled, he would have been an easy target at almost point-blank range. The shooter had very little room in which to maneuver his rifle and seemed to be totally unprepared for a physical attack.

The shooter's behavior is somewhat puzzling; he has an opportunity to shoot the guard immediately, but instead points the rifle to the side, speaks some kind of apparent command or challenge, and then fires what seems to be a warning shot to the side. If I had to guess, I would say he was commanding them to open the door for him. Commendably, they didn't comply.

This is not to say he wasn't planning mass murder; he may well have been doing just that, but needed the door opened first and was trying to establish control in order to get that done.

[DemocraticPatriot]

44. With a choice between 'attack' or 'stand there and die',

I would attack too--- if I could think fast enough in that situation...


'fight back when I am attacked? even a dog has that kind of courage'
~ TROY


]
Glad that the good guys won here.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

2. Give the guard a handsome pension!

[MustLoveBeagles]

52. Absolutely

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Like you need a scope inside a building. He's a gunman so automatically a doofus, but that caps it.n

[Jim__]

4. Wow! The guard had to keep one hand on the gun the whole time.

[MLAA]

5. Wow, great job by the first security guard. But why the hell is the second security guard

Who comes to assist still holding his phone and clip board?

[ret5hd]

10. Utter chaos and confusion...

muscles tend to clench rather than loosen during stress…his mind hadn’t quite grasped what was going on and how to help…his muscles tightened around the objects rather than dropping them.

there were just seconds between the shot and the second guard entering the room.

[h2ebits]

23. Excellent explanation. . . .

No matter what we think WE would do, we will never know until the emergency is upon us as to how we will actually act and react.

[oldsoftie]

25. Thats exactly right. Any CMH holder will tell you that.

We all HOPE we'll react the right way.

[Rural_Progressive]

32. Anyone who receives first responder training is told

they really won't know how they're going to do on the job until they get out on the job. Sometimes a person just isn't wired the way they'd like to believe they are.

[Mister Ed]

18. The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun...

...is a good guy with a clipboard.

[Escurumbele]

24. You win today's post...

[soldierant]

38. Exactly.

So much for the "good guy with a gun" theory.

Of course, this is not the first demonstration we have had of this. But it doesn't fit their narrative, so they ignore it.

[Straw Man]

39. A few questions.

What would have happened if there hadn't been other guards on the scene within seconds?

Are you advocating that security guards at methadone clinics shouldn't be armed? I think they should be, as is amply demonstrated in the video. This guard was very brave, but he was also very lucky.

[brer cat]

6. Send that first video to the Uvalde Police.

That really took courage to rush an armed man.

[GreenWave]

12. Uvalde forces had plenty of time to shot that guy ahead of the murders.

Then the horrible tragedy occurs with so many youngsters.

And then the community votes for Abbot. WTF?

[moniss]

40. Yes that vote

for Abbott is baffling but I don't know the breakdown of the electorate there. It could be enough die-hard GQP voters who would never vote for anybody without an R by their name no matter how bad they were.

[wnylib]

41. The state voted for Abbott. I read a DU post

on election night or the next day that said that Uvalde went Dem. Don't know how accurate that is.

[LiberalLovinLug]

34. That's what I first thought of too

Hundreds of militarized full armour police with automatic weapons

compared to;

One unarmed security guard.


The security guard knew what his job was, and did it, despite the risk.

The cops knew what their job was.....to self preserve them and their buddies, and wait for someone else to be on the front line.

[Kennah]

7. Give that clinic guard a medal. And a raise. And a beer. And an application for the PD.

[Warpy]

21. Looks like he's old enough to be retired from the PD

and it also looked like he knew what he was doing, so I'd suspect either military or municipal cop.

I do agree about the medal (likely) and the raise (you kidding?). He's probably taken care of the beer already.

Substance abuse clinics are prime spots for bad guys with guns, either looking for drugs or having hat their methadone cut to the point they're scared and hurting. Personally, I think clinics should raise their methadone back up and just maintain them on it until the patient decides to taper it down.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

42. And free therapy (PTSD).

[ARPad95]

8. It's a methadone clinic and the suspect had shot a woman in the leg at a residence prior

to coming to the clinic. No excuse, but possibly an addict who was desperate for a fix?

"[Both shootings] were an attempted robbery seeking what we believe to be drugs," Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said in a press conference. "There was, at this point, no other motive other than an attempted robbery."

The security guard truly put his life on the line to prevent the assailant from entering the clinic. Definitely a hero.

[masmdu]

9. paywalled

[hunter]

11. Came up for me.

But I'd probably better have avoided it.

[BWdem4life]

13. 20-20 hindsight, though, if I were that guard watching the video of myself...

First off, how did I not notice he was carrying an AR-15 until after he fired it? I was looking right at him when he came through the door.

Secondly, although admirable, the second I took to gesture at the people behind the glass was time enough for the shooter to have shot me.

Lessons for next time, I guess (but hopefully there won't be one.)

Nice job taking him down though.

[oldsoftie]

27. I agree on both points. Heat of the moment I guess

[Kaleva]

31. Freezing is one of four responses to danger

The other three being fight, flight or fawning .

When I watch the video, it appears the security guard froze when he saw the guy with the rifle. He did go into fight mode after the rifle was fired.

[Moostache]

49. It breaks me that we live in a world hat can contemplate the what ifs of a "next time"...

Its just such a slickening reality. I get that same feeling every time my kids or their friends mention the active shooter drills done at their schools. This madness of unlimited and unlimitable access to assault weapons and ammunition is gut punches over and over.

Kudos to the guard for defusing a tragedy. Shame to our society for refusing to stop this insanity.

[Historic NY]

14. more on the suspect

Last edited Wed Nov 16, 2022, 04:20 PM - Edit history (1)

[link:https://buffalonews.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/accused-gunman-in-methadone-clinic-shooting-charged-remanded/article_49b0202a-61cf-11ed-ae04-47ccdd08f472.htm|

[oldsoftie]

28. "page requested could not be found"

[Historic NY]

29. fixed

[oldsoftie]

33. Thanks!

[CCExile]

15. Better than 40 Texas lawmen.

[Probatim]

16. Better than 400 Texas "lawmen".

Based on my typing skills, you meant to type 400.

[KS Toronado]

17. Remind me, who always says

"only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun"?

[AllyCat]

19. OMG the bystanders on the sidewalk!

Amazing how it took several moments to register what was going on and to run towards safety!

[BrienDoesIt]

30. I have to admit, when my fight flight or freeze kicks in, the freeze is immediate lol

More than once I've been in a situation where my adrenaline is pumping, not necessarily actual danger, but perceived, and I might as well have been a possum lol

[underpants]

20. Great job!

[marieo1]

22. A Hero

The guard is a HERO

[republianmushroom]

26. A hero, there are some LE that could take notes. IMO

[TomSlick]

36. An extraordinarily brave man.

The line between bravery and foolishness is often difficult to ascertain.

[orangecrush]

43. DAYUM!!!!!!

Bet that guard was a martial artist.

Balls visible from outer space!

[Jack the Greater]

45. And he did all that while wearing a mask!

Who was that masked man?
Why, that was the Lone Ranger!

[orangecrush]

51. Amazing

They should give this guy a tickertape parade, and he should never have to work another day in his life.

[struggle4progress]

46. ... Jeffery Griffin, 48, entered a methadone clinic on Buffalo's lower west side and allegedly fired

one round from an AR-15 rifle into the wall ... Reynaldo Beckford, who was standing inside the entrance, grabbed the suspect and the gun. “Yea, I would be lying to you if I was to say to you that I wasn’t scared for my life. And the first thing that flashed over my brain was my baby boy who just turned 3 years old,” said Reynaldo Beckford, security guard ... https://www.yourerie.com/news/regional-news/security-guard-speaks-out-after-buffalo-shooting-at-methadone-clinic/

... Reynaldo says he has worked in the security industry for more than 20 years, and when he had a close encounter with the gunman, he was in survival mode. "When I had him and the rifle, I started saying Jesus Jesus Jesus, and that's when he turned back," the security guard says. "He stopped fighting for a while, and that's when the other security guard started coming down the stairs." Reynaldo says the gunman wouldn't take his finger off the trigger, so everyone had to put up a fight ... Reynaldo says he'll consider seeking therapy, and the clinic is looking into increasing security ... https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/security-guard-speaks-after-a-close-encounter-with-a-gunman-at-the-hispanics-united-of-buffalo

... Officers say at least two more rounds were fired during the struggle, but no one was injured ... Griffin has been charged with a number of felonies, including attempted murder. Officers say he stopped at a home on Pennsylvania Street and shot a woman in the leg before going to the clinic. The woman was taken to Erie County Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries ... Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said in a press conference. "There was, at this point, no other motive other than an attempted robbery." Buffalo Police are working with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine where the AR-15 came from. The rifle had an extended 30-round magazine .. larger .. than is legal in .. New York ...
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/11/15/npr-buffalo-clinic-gunman-ar15-guard-police

[dlk]

47. No employee should have to face getting shredded with an automatic weapion

This isn’t freedom, it’s tyranny. Granted, the guard was exceptionally brave, however, he’s not working in a war zone.

[Bucky]

50. Only a good guy with a covid mask can stop a bad guy with a gun

or something like that