Riverton, Utah, is obviously not the place to lose your cool and wave a shotgun around threatening convenience store workers. Others in the establishment may very well be legally armed and not hesitate to defend innocent life.
A suspect on Friday forgot this truism and paid for that mistake with his life.
Not having ID to purchase alcohol started a fatal series of events
According to reports, a customer became enraged when the clerk refused to sell him alcohol due to his lack of proper identification. Witnesses told investigators that the man was “argumentative” and “belligerent,” but bystanders appeared to calm him down.
He then got into his vehicle and left, and that should have been that.
But local media noted that the suspect returned to the business and went inside carrying a shotgun. That was enough probable cause for one–and possibly more than one–good guy with a gun to draw their weapon and fatally shoot the suspect.
Second Amendment assures such incidents in Riverton are rare
An outlet said that two customers may have shot at the man allegedly wielding the shotgun. Officials later identified the deceased as 23-year-old Ofa’tangikivaha Angilau, and there were no other injuries.
Initial reports indicated the suspect fired his shotgun in the establishment, but authorities later corrected the error.
Riverton Police Department Public Information Officer Nate Slack said such incidents are uncommon in the town, and that may be thanks to good citizens exercising their right to keep and bear arms.
“I think this is why a lot of people do conceal[ed] carry just to protect themselves in situations like this,” Slack told reporters. “Obviously a very unfortunate situation, but they do occur; they are rare, however, especially here in Riverton.”
The violent incident should give pause to anyone in the Utah community who considers threatening law-abiding citizens for any reason. The consequences may be permanent.
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