Backbone

Brendan "Dan" McKown, the man who was facing paraplegia after taking several rounds to the torso in the Tacoma Mall, WALKED out of the hospital on Friday, the 13th.

"At least you know I have a backbone," quipped Dan on the way out. He has feeling now in his legs, and is walking with the help of braces and a walker. Yeah Dan, you have a hell of a backbone.

Hat tip to Mr. Completely

Update on Dan McKown

Brendan McKown, an assistant manager of the Excalibur Cutlery and Gifts store, was on his way to make a deposit at the time of the shooting at the Tacoma Mall on November 20. Of six people shot, McKown was the most seriously injured, sustaining injuries that have resulted in a bowel resection with a colostomy, and quite possibly paraplegia. Until now, Dan McKown has not spoken, having been in a medically induced coma.

When the shooting started, McKown, an armed CCW holder, said he didn't know who was firing at whom. Therefore, he made a snap decision not to stand up and fire back. McKown stated he briefly drew his gun on Tacoma Mall shooting suspect Dominick S. Maldonado, but he’s not sure Maldonado saw it. “I’m looking at this guy,” McKown said. “He’s a kid. I would have had to shoot him in the head.” So he yelled at the man to drop his weapon, an act that only succeeded in drawing fire. The deranged gunman turned and fired on McKown, striking him, he said, five or six times. The shots blew him back several feet, McKown stated.

"When I changed into another position, I see just the most surreal sight," McKown said from his bed at Tacoma General Hospital in a interview conducted by KOMO/4. "It's a young Arabic looking boy ... with a ball cap on and an AK in his hand," he said, referring to the weapon he thought the shooter was firing, a Kalashnikov rifle.

"So I said, 'Put down the weapon!' " continued McKown. "Obviously, he was faster on the draw than I was........It's a stupid statement, but I have a concealed weapons permit in case some idiot shoots up a mall," said McKown, who added that he likely would return to his job, and may also start doing stand-up comedy again.

McKown on Monday was upgraded to satisfactory condition, said Todd Kelley, a spokesman for Tacoma General. Kelley said McKown might be discharged in the next couple of days to a rehabilitation clinic. McKown said that in the end, he was thankful to be alive. "I'd be lying if I thought I was doing great," he said. "But I sure got off light, all things considered."

So what is there to be learned from Dan McKown's misfortune? Do not expect murderous criminals to obey commands you shout at them. Such a criminal is already disobeying the command of law and words alone will not stop them. If a CCW holder is going to engage such a threat with a handgun, they must maximize their chances by incorporating surprise, speed and accuracy. There is no shame or disgrace in using the ambush. This is life and death stuff, not a Tom Mix Western.

Reference
Reference

A Hero in Tacoma

On November 21,2005, Dominick Sergio Maldonado, 20, of Tacoma, Washington pleaded not guilty to assault, kidnapping and firearms charges for shooting up the Tacoma Mall. He is being held on $2 million bail. Police say Maldonado stormed through the mall shooting randomly at shoppers. He surrendered to law enforcement about four hours later after shooting six people and taking four hostages in a Sam Goody music store. On November 22, police were still trying to determine how Maldonado, a convicted felon, had obtained the two weapons he carried into the mall. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is helping Tacoma detectives trace the history of the weapons. Enough about the criminal scum. His deranged actions simply set the stage for the real story.

Brendan "Dan" McKown was delivering a bank deposit for Excalibur Cutlery, a mall gift store, when gunshots scattered shoppers at noon in Tacoma. Dan McKown was an armed CCW holder. Witnesses state that McKown stood about 20 feet from the gunman when he faced him and drew his own pistol before being shot. Whether he spoke to the gunman is unknown. "Our understanding is that Dan drew his weapon and confronted the gunman," his stepmother, Beverly McKown, said during a news conference Tuesday at Tacoma General Hospital. “Dan is always one who believed in protecting people and he put his life on the line for other people,” McKown's father said. “His actions and the actions of others like him may have prevented additional casualties by confronting the aggression and possibly changing the gunman’s action early in the conflict.”

McKown, 38, was shot twice in the abdomen and has been on life support, said hospital spokesman Todd Kelley. The two bullets severely damaged McKown's intestines and abdominal muscles, but doctors were able to repair the damage. Tragically, McKown also suffered injury to his spinal cord. A second surgery to remove bullet and bone fragments from his spinal canal was successful, Kelley stated, but the bullets caused "significant nerve damage that will likely result in permanent paralysis." McKown was being brought out of a medically induced coma Tuesday. The other shooting victims were treated at hospitals and released. A longtime friend of McKown's who talked with witnesses after the shooting said McKown always carried a gun. "He's always been worried about the way society is going, and for him, carrying a handgun was less for himself than for others," Syrus Corbin said. McKown "has always had a fear of being there when someone flips out and just starts shooting people, and I'll be damned if it didn't happen to him." Employees of the Kits Camera store, where McKown fell, cared for him for more than an hour before he could be rushed to the hospital. He was conscious, they said, but were unsure if he said anything.

The McKowns, of Yelm, Thurston County, described their bachelor son as a look-alike of late-night TV host Conan O'Brien, with a great sense of humor, a passion for photography and a deep Christian faith. They said that while they are worried he may be paralyzed for life, they are certain McKown's faith will sustain him. The Dan McKown Medical Fund, set up to help offset McKown's expenses, has been established through the Bank of America. Donations may be made at any Bank of America branch, the family said. The account number is 83799 577. The family would also like to encourage people to go to their local blood bank and donate blood in Dan McKown's name.

The McKowns, who are active in prison ministries in part because McKown's father spent some time behind bars years ago for his own "bad choices," said they have been praying nonstop for their son and for Maldonado. "We are not angry," said Beverly McKown. "We are praying for Dan and we are praying for this boy. God is a healer."

Many, including myself, will argue whether Brendan McKown's decision to take on a rifleman while armed only with a handgun was a wise decision. What is inarguable is that it was a courageous decision. Brendan "Dan" McKown, thank you. Your actions are a credit to CCW holders everywhere.

Update on Dan McKown