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Score one for the Marines A pack of young thugs, armed with a shotgun and a pistol, picked on the wrong victim recently in Atlanta. Thomas Autry, 36, was walking home after completing his shift as a waiter. According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Autry had left his job at the Jocks & Jills restaurant in Midtown and was walking along Penn Avenue when a blue Cadillac pulled alongside and three men and a woman, one armed with a shotgun, and the woman jumped from the car. “‘This group had robbed two men on Piedmont earlier Monday night, taking a video camera and a cellphone,’ said Atlanta police homicide Detective Danny Stephens. ‘Autry takes off running, and they chase him. During the chase, Autry's trying to get into his backpack to get a pocket knife, which slows him down,’ Stephens said.” “During the chase, Autry repeatedly yelled ‘fire, fire,’ which Stephens said attracted nearby residents' attention. Grabbing the knife from his backpack, Autry managed to kick the shotgun from the man's hands and stabbed the woman, age 17, in the chest, fatally wounding her, Stephens said. In the melee, Autry also stabbed one of the male suspects. Another suspect attempted to shoot Autry with a .380 pistol, which misfired, Stephens said.” Thomas Autry, detectives said, would not be charged in the incident which police called “a clear case of self-defense.” Autry, a former United States Marine, knows something about fighting for his life. Autry received an honorable discharge after serving during the first Gulf War. During his fight for his life in Penn Avenue, Autry suffered minor injuries including a cut to his hand. The former Marine shared with reporters that he tried to flee but when it was obvious that would not work, he had to fight. “This world has gotten to the point where it is predatory," said a shaken Autry. It’s sad that this young woman’s life ended and that the other wounded young man is in critical condition in an Atlanta hospital, but what did they expect? Had not Autry fought, he would be dead today. This former Marine, who was raised in New York, successfully disarmed the thug with the shotgun but, had the pistol wielded by another thug not misfired, he would have been dead anyway. And remember that Autry was running for his life with four armed predators in pursuit. The police made the right decision in deciding not to charge Autry. Doubtless there will be howls from some quarters and some have suggested that lawsuits might be filed against Autry. But when these three young men and this young woman decided to prey upon innocent, hard-working citizens — when they decided to point a shotgun and a pistol into the faces of those they attacked — they made the choice to end their own freedom and end their own lives. Several years ago, an armed robber attempted to assault and rob a man who was withdrawing money from an ATM. Unfortunately for the thief, the man, a New York police officer on vacation, drew his concealed weapon and shot him dead. No charges were filed in that case either. How sad it would have been to read that Thomas Autry, a Marine veteran, had been killed by a pack of marauding thieves after he so honorably served his country. How sad it would have been if the valiant New York cop had lost his life so far from home and the city he was sworn to protect, dying on vacation in the streets of Atlanta. Instead, the good guys fought back and the bad guys paid for their folly with their lives. Maybe a message will be sent to other would-be criminals that it’s potentially deadly to choose a life outside the law. The two thieves who were not injured will likely spend time in jail for their crimes. That is sad. It is uncertain whether the young man who was stabbed will live or die. That, too, is sad. And it’s terribly sad that this young woman who, last month, was only 16 years old, will never be married, never have a family, and never see her life fulfilled. But what did they expect? Didn’t anyone ever teach them that actions have consequences? login to post comments | Father David Epps's blog
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