Posted on 09/06/2024 9:44:30 AM PDT by marktwain
A 64-year-old retired U.S. Army colonel was shot three times during the purchase of a dump trailer brokered on Facebook Marketplace.
The shooting happened late Sunday afternoon in Cullman County, and the 21-year-old suspect entered the country illegally roughly two years ago, said Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry.
“I’m pissed off today,’’ Gentry said during a Wednesday press conference. “I’m pissed off that we’re even having to have this conversation.”
The suspect was identified as Abel Medardo Sacrab-Chen of Guatemala. Sacrab-Chen was shot by the victim during the incident.
Sacrab-Chen is charged with first-degree robbery and certain persons forbidden to possess a firearm. More charges are possible.
The victim – Glenn Gildon, who posted about his ordeal on Facebook – met with the suspect about 5:30 p.m. Sunday on Brunner Street.
Sacrab-Chen told Gildon the trailer was not actually on site, and they would have to drive to another location.
“The victim felt that something wasn’t right,’’ Gentry said. “Like good law-abiding citizens, he had his firearm with him, which is probably the only thing that save his life.”
As they were driving in Gildon’s truck, the sheriff said, Sacrab-Chen put a knife to the victim’s throat and said, “Give me your money or I’m going to kill you.”
The two struggled and Gildon fired his gun.
“But my pistol jammed, and I couldn’t get it to fire again so I threw it and exited the truck,’’ Gildon wrote. “He got my pistol and got it to work.”
“He came to execute me,’’ he wrote, “but God had a different plan.”
Gildon was shot in the stomach, shoulder and leg.
“Did I mention that I’m still here?” Gildon wrote. “God’s plan of a better testimony wouldn’t have worked if my pistol had continued to function. God’s plan is always better.”
Sheriff’s deputies received the call of the shooting in the area of County Road 463.
Good Samaritans had stopped to help Gildon. Deputies and Cullman police quickly found the suspect, who was still in Gildon’s truck.
The suspect, Gentry said, had been shot at least one time.
Both remain hospitalized.
The sheriff said Sacrab-Chen “crossed the border a couple of years ago, identified and let into the U.S. to become a violent criminal in our community.”
“That pisses me off that we allow an illegal alien into our country to make his way here to pose and sell something on the internet to then try to murder and rob a veteran,’’ Gentry said. “You see it in California. You see it in New York, and today we see it in Cullman Alabama which is ridiculous.”
Cullman County District Attorney Champ Crocker said the suspect will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“Being in the country illegally may get you a free house in California,’’ Crocker said, “but it does not entitle you to immunity from prosecution in Cullman County.”
The Colonel was shot 3 times. At age 64, he very likely will never fully recover from that assault, but his fighting spirit will go a long ways toward keeping him strong.
This is a man who does not traumatize very easily.
“I prefer a revolver.”
Yup. I’d never carry an automatic for personal defense. You shouldn’t lose your life because of a stupid misfire.
Concur...Surprising how much confidence comes from having even a “little” something extra in deep concealment.
This was in Cullman, Alabama in Cullman County, run by the Cullman extended family, and home county of Hank Williams, Jr.
This is not a place to do what this dumba@@ illegal alien tried— not at all. If the gun hadn’t jammed which means it was a semi-auto and not a good one— this dude would have been shot dead. And, frankly, should have been or would have been by the sheriff in the first place.
Prayers for the Retired Army Colonel. None for the stupid bastard.
And then there’s the safety thing. Keep one in the chamber, and you should probably should have the safety on. That’s one more thing to fumble with when under stress.
Don’t have the safety on, and you had better not accidentally touch the trigger when drawing your weapon. More than one guy has shot himself because of that.
But it’s all personal preference, as others have noted. And I’m just speaking hypothetically here. I lost all my firearms years ago in a boating accident.
I carry a .40 S&W MP Shield - no safety, but then, I’ve been schooled in proper handling and qualified as a flight deck safety officer. You have to know your weapon.
If I’m going to get a 6-Gun it’s going to have 6 chambers. Saw a .22 magnum that had 8.
I'm assuming the door was closed and window up.
A jammed pistol in one hand and a guy trying to kill you in the other is a pretty bad situation, and bailing out of the truck might have seemed his only choice.
Likely put it out of battery in all the excitement.
357 has a lot of one stop hits.
I prefer 45 in a good quality 1911. You can’t beat it.
Throwing a gun is much more effective than shooting it. Shooting at Superman has no effect, but throwing the gun causes him to duck. :^)
My personal gun is a revolver, simply because I cannot work the slide on most automatics.
Don’t blame ya...I prefer shrouded hammer revolvers.
Colme on brother, you aren’t some rube trying to make a sale on facebook. Use common sense and take the sale to a police station or have them with you. You can do better than this. (Retired Army Field Grade Officer)
That is unusual because al.com is a very liberal rag! They generally follow the party line of protecting illegals from public scrutiny.
Good Sheriff. We need more like him.
Kamala Harris, the former "border czar", is guilty of conspiracy to commit murder. Her policies made this crime possible.
I agree 100% with you, especially for new carriers.
I wish ‘God’s plan’ had included a bullet right between the suspect’s eyes.
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