ME: Two Armed WalMart Shoppers Stop NY Drug Deal Shootout

By Dean Weingarten

Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)-

The shooting in the Maine WalMart was between New York residents, and it involved Heroin.  The four parties arrested were named in an article by centralmaine.com.  There was no mention of the responsibly armed people who stopped the shoot out and defused the situation.  The suspected drug deal and shootout participants were:

Kwiesha “Reggie” McBride of Harlem, New York. Charged with Reckless Conduct with a firearm

Frankie Dejesus of Rochester, N.Y.  Charged with Aggravated Assault

Diana Davis of Rochester, N.Y. Charged with Aggravated assault

Samantha Tupper is the blond local woman from Augusta, ME.  She is charged with a probation violation.

Media competition is keen in these days of new media and the Internet. If one outlet does not cover an interesting angle, another will.  Some times you have to look at several sources to find things left out of the picture in others. From wcsh6.com:

AUGUSTA, Maine (NEWS CENTER) — Augusta Police say two bystanders, legally armed with handguns, stepped in during a shooting incident at a Walmart in Augusta.

Police say four suspects were taken into custody by police Sunday after allegedly firing gunshots in the parking lot of a Walmart.

The suspects involved were sitting in vehicles parked next to each other when the altercation arose. The occupants of one vehicle fired at the occupants of the other, which resulted in return gunfire.

When the shooting stopped, police said one suspect exited their vehicle to confront the occupants of the other. This is when two bystanders, who were legally carrying, interfered and stopped the incident, police said.

More details are reported by a local television station. Note that when one responsible and armed person stepped up, another backed him up.   From wabi.tv:

“Two vehicles that had appeared were parked next to each other. The occupants inside exchanged gunfire and then there was an altercation after that between the occupants in the parking lot,” said Lt. Christopher Massey with Augusta PD.

During the altercation, customer Daniel Chavanne, who was about to leave with his wife and kids, took matters into his own hands. We’re told Chavanne, a licensed concealed carrier, drew his firearm and diffused the situation. Then another armed shopper came to Chavanne’s aid.

“If they hadn’t stepped in, somebody would have been hurt, severely hurt. You know one of my kids could have got shot,” said Chavanne’s wife, Carrie.

While Dan Chavanne may have a concealed carry license now, he started as an open carrier at the age of 18. In Maine, when Chavanne was 18, he could legally open carry, but could not obtain a concealed carry permit. From wgme.com:

“The way the fight was going, I have no doubt if myself and the other person didn’t intervene there would have been at least one body there,” Dan Chavanne said.

Dan says he’s open carried since he was 18, because of situations like this.

“If you’ve got the background, the experience and the training there’s no reason not to carry,” Dan Chavanne said.

The Chavannes said that the criminals were really bad shots.

 Link to video Here

Chavvane’s personal defensive handgun was a subcompact Glock, likely a Model 43 or 42.

The other good Samaritan did not have their name released.  There is no mention of whether or not they had a concealed carry permit.  Maine became a permitless or “Constitutional” carry state in October of 2015. This makes the likelihood of an honest, responsible person legally carrying a defensive firearm much higher.  That makes Maine more dangerous for criminals.

It is a reality that the suspected heroin dealers learned to their discomfort.  It may have saved one or more of their lives.

©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.

Link to Gun Watch

About Dean Weingarten;

Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.