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Man has no regrets defending Oklahoma City pharmacy

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  • MadMo44Mag

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    http://newsok.com/feed/man-has-no-r...rticle/3371710?custom_click=pod_headline_news


    Man has no regrets defending Oklahoma City pharmacy

    Buzz up!
    BY JOHNNY JOHNSON
    Published: May 22, 2009
    Modified: May 23, 2009 at 11:15 am







    lead620

    Pharmacist Jerome Ersland talks about a fatal shooting that occurred at Reliable Discount Pharmacy in Oklahoma City. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman

    Jerome Ersland was back at work Thursday filling prescriptions and hoping that by taking the life of a 16-year-old boy two days earlier, he had saved others.
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    Rubbing an oversized bandage on his left forearm, where he said he was grazed by a robber’s bullet, Ersland related details of what he said was a highly organized hit on the Reliable Discount Pharmacy.
    "I just regret anybody would get killed,” Ersland said. "But if I wouldn’t have been here, there would have been three people killed — the other pharmacist and the two techs.”
    He also recalls the angry voices of people who gathered outside the pharmacy Tuesday night, shouting that he was a racist who unnecessarily took a life of the Seeworth Academy charter school student, Antwun Parker.
    "There were a lot of black people gathered out there yelling and everything at my boss,” Ersland said.

    An organized hit
    After the pharmacy near SW 59 and Pennsylvania was robbed two years ago, the owner installed new security measures to try to make sure his employees would never again be forced to a back room and pistol-whipped. "We have a very good security system,” Ersland said, motioning to the magnetic door locks that won’t let anyone in or out of the store without permission. "The door locks, and they (robbers) knew that. They had cased it because they knew exactly what time to hit us when we’d have all of our narcotics out and our money out.”
    About 10 minutes before 6 p.m., Ersland said, two robbers wearing ski masks waited for someone to leave the pharmacy and then grabbed the open door and threw down a board to stop the door from closing.
    The robbers went in cursing and yelling, ordering employees to give them money and drugs, Ersland said.
    Two women who were working behind the counter ran for a back room where they would be safe, but Ersland said he couldn’t run. Ersland said he’s a veteran with disabilities from wounds he received in Operation Desert Storm, wears a cumbersome back brace and just had his latest back surgery six weeks ago.
    "All of a sudden, they started shooting,” he said. "They were attempting to kill me, but they didn’t know I had a gun. They said, ‘You’re gonna die.’ That’s when one of them shot at me, and that’s when he got my hand.”
    Ersland said he was thrown against a wall, but managed to go for the semiautomatic in his pocket.
    "And that’s when I started defending myself,” he said. "The first shot got him in the head, and that slowed him down so I could get my other gun.”
    But as one robber hit the floor, Ersland said, a bullet from the other robber whizzed past his ear.
    The pharmacist said he then got his second gun from a nearby drawer, a Taurus "Judge.”
    After he had the big gun, Ersland said, the second robber ran.
    But as he started to chase after the second robber, Ersland said, he looked back to see the 16-year-old he had shot in the head getting up again. Ersland said he then emptied the Kel-Tec .380 into the boy’s chest as he kept going after the second robber.
    "I went after the other guy, but he was real fast and I’m crippled,” Ersland said.
    Outside the pharmacy, he said he saw what he thought was a third black male in a car with the engine running and reaching for what appeared to be a shotgun.
    "I pulled out my ‘Judge’ and pointed it right between his eyes and he floored it,” Ersland said.

    The investigation
    Because of the sensitive nature of the investigation, police said they could not confirm any of Ersland’s story, including whether Ersland was shot, whether the robbers ever fired on him or even if Parker was armed. On Thursday, police were still looking for the second robber, described as a black man in his 20s, about 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighing about 175 pounds. The man was last seen wearing a red shirt and dark pants.
    A man was arrested about a block away after crashing a stolen car that fit the description Ersland gave, but police said the man has not been linked to the robbery.

    After the gunfire
    When he went back in the pharmacy, Ersland said, he called police. "I asked if the girls were all right, and they were in the back crying,” he said. "I was glad to know they were alive. We were lucky and I’m glad I defended us, because I feel that a person has a right to defend themselves at their home or at their work. People deserve to be safe and not be afraid of people that want to take money when they don’t work for it.”
    That’s what the Second Amendment and the state’s "concealed carry” license are for, he said.
    "Fortunately, God made them miss me, except for this minor scratch,” Ersland said.
    "I was able to return fire and protect the girls’ lives. God was helping me.”
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    kingofwylietx

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    Good for him. I hope the hate mongers crying racism burn in hell.

    Yeah, it's interesting how intelligent these folks must be to think he shot the kid due to race.....rather than the fact the kid was trying to rob & kill him. Those idiots, sure, if it were a white kid robbing & shooting....he'd just let the kid kill him & not try to defend himself.
     

    Rocket_Cowboy

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    Yeah, it's interesting how intelligent these folks must be to think he shot the kid due to race.....rather than the fact the kid was trying to rob & kill him. Those idiots, sure, if it were a white kid robbing & shooting....he'd just let the kid kill him & not try to defend himself.

    Yeah ... what kind of "ism" is it if I'm not particular about stopping anyone who wants to kill me? I'm pretty sure Jerome would have shot regardless of whether the assailant was black, white, purple or rainbow colored. Unbelievable.

    Assuming the facts that have been reported are accurate, good on Jerome for taking a stand.
     

    Major Woody

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    That's what you get when you mess with a veteran. They would of probably been raped and killed if he hadn't acted. God Bless Jerome. He gave them the dumba$$ vaccine!
     

    MadMo44Mag

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    "He gave them the dumba$$ vaccine!"

    I love that line....

    That's as good as diluting the gene pool with lead

    After posting this I was so pissed I just left the thread alone.
    Always, always have to pull the race card out.:banghead:
    When someone had a gun pointed at you the only color you see is stainless or cold blue steel.
     

    ZX9RCAM

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    He has now been charged with murder....

    [url]http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,522461,00.html?test=latestnews[/URL]

    OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City pharmacist who shot and killed a 16-year-old would-be robber was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder.

    Jerome Ersland, 57, was being held without bail in the Oklahoma County Jail.

    Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said in an afternoon news conference that Ersland was justified in shooting Antwun Parker once in the head on May 19. But Prater said Ersland went too far when he shot Parker five more times in the abdomen while Parker lay unconscious on the floor.

    Ersland's attorney, Irven Box, said Ersland was protecting himself and two women inside the pharmacy.

    "I think he did something in his eyes that protected both himself and two ladies in there," Box said. "He put an end to the threat."

    Box said he thinks a jury will exonerate Ersland.

    At an afternoon news conference, Prater showed a security video in which two men burst into the pharmacy and one is shot.

    Ersland is seen chasing the second man outside before returning, walking past Parker to get a second gun then going back to Parker and opening fire.

    The charge alleges Ersland shot Parker while he was incapacitated and lying on his back. Ersland's account of the incident doesn't match the video or the evidence collected at the scene, according to an affidavit written by Oklahoma City Police Detective David Jacobson.

    Jacobson said the suspect who ran away from the pharmacy was armed, but no gun was found near Parker.

    "Ersland shows no concern for his safety as he walks by Parker, and turns his back to Parker as he walks behind the pharmacy counter," Jacobson said. "Ersland is then seen to put the pistol he is carrying on the counter, and retrieve a second pistol from a drawer."

    Ersland used this pistol to shoot Parker on the ground, the detective said.

    He said an autopsy determined that Parker had been shot in the head, but was still alive when he was shot in the stomach area and died from those injuries.
     

    MadMo44Mag

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    Just another fine fu**in example of how the criminal has more rights than the victim.:mad::mad::mad:
    I'll be back - I'm pissed!

    Ok back and a little calmer now.
    Who the fu** cares if he shot the little sh*t again.
    As far as he knew he was still a threat and was not going to turn his back on hm and run after the other BG leaving this one behind possibly still alive and other employees in the building.
    An autopsy will show if the initial shot killed him or not.
    An there again, You rob someone, don't piss and moan because little johnny not only got shot but shot GOOD AND FREAKING DEAD.
    What has the law always said. "Crime does not pay"!!!
    Well this is a prime example that crime not only does not pay but can be down right deadly.
    What is it with people that think the criminal deserves anything more than the most basic of rights when they are caught dead in the act of the crime.
     

    M. Sage

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    The pharmacist did go a bit too far in that one.

    I have a hard time believing the kid was still alive after the head shot, though.
     

    Texas42

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    M. Sage, I think would be right, but we don't know enough about the case. I read that he was shot with a kel tec 380, and it really doesn't say where the first bullet hit or what kind of ammo it was, just the head. He might have been dying, but just not dead yet.

    Still, I think shots to the abdominal region would take a while to kill you if you missed the major arteries.

    I wonder if that would make a difference in a murder trial? Or what if the kid was dead when the follow up shots happened? what would happen then? I hope he gets a good lawyer and a sympathetic jury.

    At the very least, I hope good people, don't skip out on jury duty.

    When I first read this, I thought the guy was going to be in trouble. I don't feel sorry for the kid, but I think the store owner could have and should have not had those follow up shots.
     

    Major Woody

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    He had just had back surgery, probably on legal pain killers. His service record and extenuating circumstances may sway the jury. The guy said he was going to kill him! I hope he is a NRA member, they have legal counsel for that. Moral of the story; use something bigger than a .380 and shoot center mass.
     

    MadMo44Mag

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    I don't care!!!
    You point a gun at me and threaten my life, you just pissed your right to live away!!!

    I'll restate my earlier rant.
    Who the fu** cares if he shot the little sh*t again.
    As far as he knew he was still a threat and was not going to turn his back on hm and run after the other BG leaving this one behind possibly still alive and other employees in the building.
    An autopsy will show if the initial shot killed him or not.
    An there again, You rob someone, don't piss and moan because little johnny not only got shot but shot GOOD AND FREAKING DEAD.
    What has the law always said. "Crime does not pay"!!!
    What is it with people that think the criminal deserves anything more than the most basic of rights when they are caught dead in the act of the crime.
     

    Big country

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    I hope this is not going to offend anyone. But the store clerk, owner what ever he was or is, might have gone to far not only chasing the one turd out of the store but if he did in fact open fire on an incapacitated attacker it changes the circumstances. I do however agree with everyone so far on the hate mongers, they need to shut the f up and go some place else to bitch and wine about little Johny the neighborhood crack dealer gets shot during an armed robbery attempt. I'm sure he was a good boy that wouldn't hurt a fly. :rolleyes:
     

    MadMo44Mag

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    BC you're right but; Right or wrong is up to a jury. I think as a bystander or juror we still have to think along the lines of what the store clerk was thinking. We pretty well know what the BG were thinking right up till thier victim started shooting back.

    What was he thinking, what is his defense for popping little Johnny 8 more times in the chest?
    " I see him, looks head shot, that's what I was aiming at, did he move - bang, bang.....!

    This was a split second reaction /decision. He knows there are bystander's right there in the store: can I take a chance and leave little Johnny and hope he does not get up or do I make sure he will never get up before I dash after the other BG?

    Now lawfully the threat has been eliminated, little Johnny is down and the 2nd BG is out the door, but wait!!!!
    Did the second BG just duck out to regroup so he can come back in firing?

    You do what you think you need too in a situation like that.

    Some times regardless of the training, the morals and ethics we posses - a life or death situation can make you weight the circumstance out differently than you normally would.

    We really don't know all the details but IMO we need to look at these kind of incidents as learning lesson but at the same time we must keep our prospective in line with that of the bystander or juror.

    Just MHO
     

    Texas42

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    I don't understand how there can charge him with 1st degree murder.

    I was under the impression that 1st degree implied some sort of planned murder. Seems to me that it would be hard to plan to murder a person who robs your store.
     

    DCortez

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    I don't understand how there can charge him with 1st degree murder.

    I was under the impression that 1st degree implied some sort of planned murder. Seems to me that it would be hard to plan to murder a person who robs your store.

    +1

    If he is to be charged, something lesser would be in order.


    I don't know the law, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it seems that you can't shoot a guy once he's down and/or no longer a threat. I could not see if the robber pointed a gun at the pharmacist while he was on the ground.
     

    Charley

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    I seem to recall during the SAS raid on the Iranian Embassey in Lndon years back one poor terrorist was shot by almost every SAS operative that went by him. He was already dead, proped against a wall, and doctrine dictated that you couldn't leave someone unneutralized in your rear.
    Same principle. If you've got to move away from them, with the BG in your rear, make damned sure he's incaple of hurting you.
     

    MadMo44Mag

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    I suspect that the murder 1 charge is hate mongering under the guise of unlawful action filed by the DA to pander to the minorities till it goes to trial.

    Remember the race card was pulled out early in this case.

    What is more scary is if the autopsy shows Little Johnny was totally incapacitated by the shot to the head - he could not only face the murder 1 charge but be charge with a hate crime as well; depending on any ethinic slurs he may have made to the 1st responders.

    All in all though regarless of what he may be charged with, a jurry has the final say. My gut feeling is the charge will not stand
     
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