Real Tales of Self-Defense: Walmart Edition

A man near the checkout counters broke out a folding knife and started going full Michael Myers on anyone within reach. Pandemonium ensued with both customers and employees screaming and shouting as they fled in all directions.

Most of the attacker’s 11 victims—six men and five women, ages ranging from 29 to 84—were stabbed inside the store around the checkout area before the knife-wielding man attempted to flee, making his way like a buzz saw to the vestibule and stabbing at least two others as he fled to the parking lot. One Walmart employee recalled in news accounts hearing screams and seeing a victim stabbed in the eye.

Just as quickly as the attack unfolded, several courageous bystanders sprang into action. Among them was Derrick Perry, a Marine veteran armed with a concealed handgun, who calmly stepped between the attacker and panicking crowds.

“Drop it! Throw the knife now!” he commanded as he pointed a gun at the attacker in a video that quickly went viral. Other brave citizens—including another Marine veteran, Matthew Kolakowski—assisted by tackling the attacker and using a shopping cart in the confrontation to initially knock him down.

Law enforcement quickly arrived in under a minute. With the suspect restrained by Perry and the others, deputies swiftly took him into custody without a single shot fired. For that last point, Perry deserves much credit.

Everyone acknowledged had he not been on hand with his gun, many more, including those attempting to stop him, could’ve been harmed.

“Multiple citizens including one who was armed with a pistol were confronting the male suspect in the parking lot and preventing him from harming further people,” said Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea. “I cannot commend everyone who was involved enough.”

In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA), Perry was modest as he shared his harrowing story.

“I didn’t think of anything other than trying to get him away from people and get him isolated and get him to put the knife down,” Perry, a former Marine, told GMA. He noted how a mob mentality started to break out among those trying to stop the man.

“I had to block all that out and focus on him,” Perry said. “I ultimately just wanted him to put the knife down and back away until law enforcement got there. I did not see myself as any type of judge, jury or executioner. I just wanted everyone to be safe.”

Perry, who currently works in a hospital, said he never wanted to have to pull the trigger and tried to keep things calm as he attempted to communicate with the attacker.

“I took time to actually look and listen and try to understand his mind state and see that, yes, I am in a position to do something very rash, but it's ultimately my decision to not do it as well,” he said. He also does not consider himself a hero.

“The only thing that separated me from the other gentlemen as well is what I was carrying in my hands,” Perry said. “I think I would have ran out there or walked out there and helped either way. It was just a moment of, ‘I’ve got a duty to protect.’”

Without a shot fired, lives were saved—proof of exactly how a good guy with a gun can make all the difference when seconds matter most.