A Pizza Hut delivery driver with a valid handgun permit has been fired after he shot an armed robber who put a gun to his head and demanded he turn over his cash. Now an Iowa state senator is calling for a boycott of Pizza Hut:
“You tell me any Iowan that was in his situation, that had a gun put to his head, how they would’ve reacted differently,” state Sen. Brad Zaun of Urbandale said. “I think it’s the wrong decision by Pizza Hut and I will not be buying any more Pizza Hut products.”
Pizza Hut says it’s against company policy for delivery drivers to carry guns, even with a valid permit.
“We’re doing all that we can to help him with the transition,” Pizza Hut spokesperson Chris Fuller told the Des Moines Register. The driver, James William Spiers III, was offered two months pay (without tips, naturally) and counseling in exchange for his resignation.
“I was terminated, but they’re not going to kick me to the curb,” he said Friday. “When they terminated me, I had asked if they could provide me with counseling. That’s all I asked for.”
The robbery suspect, 19-year-old Kenneth Jimmerson, was shot three times but is alive and “was arrested when he later called for medical help.” He and another suspect (who is accused of calling in the pizza order), are both in the local county jail.
Pizza Hut delivers pink slip to employee held at gunpoint [Des Moines Register] (Thanks, David!)
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@kylo4: I cannot say what the policy is in Iowa, but in Texas in general if you’re defending yourself you are at very low risk of prosecution for shooting someone. In a case like this one, in which the assailant was himself armed with a handgun, unless his family hired some sleazebag to dispute whether or not the gun with his prints on it found next to the body was actually his, you’d probably never experience any legal repercussions for killing the assailant. I think that’s as it should be.
@jimconsumer:
Most, not all.
@PlanetExpressdelivery: Color me surprised no one’s commented on his page with this:
@coan_net: Still a better headline than “Pizza Hut Fires YOU For Shooting Armed Robber Trying To Rob YOU” …
1) I can totally understand why Pizza Hut has a no guns policy. I’m sure there would be more accidental shootings than not. They might not even be able to get insurance for their company without this kind of policy…
2) If you want to carry a gun legally, do so, it may save your life at the expense of your job. Choose your poison.
3) They guy lived. I’m sure at his next pizza delivery job, he’ll stick pack a gun regardless of company policy.
So if anyone doesn’t understand why 99% of companies don’t allow employee’s to have guns, please do some research.
If you hate Pizza Hut, hate em for their bad pizza.
If you hate guns, hate em so more. I don’t think this example with aid you in your crusade. PS. ban knives too
Dear criminals, think twice before you mug a pizza delivery man.
Guns: 1
Criminals: 0
Giving people guns will reduce gun related crime.
This and more nonsense at 9.
You don’t hear anyone elses side of the the story because it’s Pizza Hut’s policy to not talk to the press except for higher up managers. If you do go to the press you will be terminated.
@Byzantine: Apparently.
Don’t you guys get it?! Pizza Hut cannot tolerate. loose cannons who don’t play by the book to solve the case, erm-I mean deliver the pizza.
/Did he pull the weapon and start saying: “I know what your thinking, punk: is he carrying six dollars or only five? Well, in all these deliveries, I’ve kinda lost track myself…”
//Sorry if I’m going overboard with Dirty Harry in this thread.
@Orv: Screw saving money, I’m more concerned about saving my life. This whole just give up and be a victim nonsense, is just that. Give an attacker everything they want and you’ll be safe right, unless they want your life?
@Bay State Darren: They seem to prefer traumatized pizzamen that get a gun in their faces.
@jimconsumer: “In fact, more people get hurt every day from knives than from guns.”
Not the case with me… I prepare dinner with a handgun. That shit is *HARD* to control when you’re aiming at some little bits of parsley.
I’m already boycotting pizza hut here b/c they refuse credit card without photo ID, ironically if it is delivered, the driver aks for neither the card or ID
C’mon, every Pizza Hut employee who was ever rude to a customer or who gave a buddy a free pizza or even a soda probably broke company rules, too.
Suspend the poor guy if you have to, but don’t fire him for protecting his life.
If it is “generally known” that “Pizza Hut drivers are unarmed and easy targets” how safe does that make it to be a Pizza Hut driver (or even an inside Pizza Hut employee) if some bad guy wants a few extra bucks?
BOYCOTT PIZZA HUT
Let Pizza Hut know your opinion.
Tomas
@EBounding:
Really? Because the police generally encourage this attitude of delivery drivers, taxi drivers, convenience clerks, and just about anyone else who has a good chance of being robbed. Don’t try to be a hero. Give the scumbag what it’s asking for, make good observations so you can be a good witness, and let law enforcement do its job.
Are the police trying to embolden lowlifes?
@witeowl:
I think its because police dont want to be seen as encouraging/advocating anyone to use deadly force even to protect themself. Its a way for the police to err on the side of caution when it is looked at as giving advice.
I always found it a bit disturbing that when someone uses deadly force to defend themselves…. that the police typically say something like “we wont be filing charges” on the person (as if the person who defended their life had done something wrong, but the police are giving them a break).
IMO protecting oneself when being being threatened with deadly force is a personal choice. You can choose to HOPE you wont be killed if you cooperate, or you can fight back when threatened to defend your life.
People are a strange bunch, some will be very passive & basically give up their life when threatened, while others will fight tooth & nail. I am of the latter.
@jimconsumer: When I order pizza, it’s usually very late at night and it involves opening my door when I’m alone and compromising my safety by opening the door, letting a stranger inside, etc. And I certainly wouldn’t invite you (some random person online) into my house late at night but that’s just me.
If I can choose a company that doesn’t allow pizza men (who could likely be former convicts and/or current criminals) to be armed, I would definitely choose that company.
I typically don’t eat dinner with complete strangers. Also, kitchen knives at least require more strength and effort to kill someone than a gun does.
I am in no way against the right to carry a gun. I just think the employers’ policies should be respected.
Hmmm, I didn’t read all responses, but I seriously doubt that when he had the gun at his head, he pulled out his gun and shot the guy 3 times!
I think it is mopre likely that he had the gun at his head, gave up the money, as the a-hole was leaving, dude caps him 3 times.
If that is what happened, he damn right should have been fired. Not only does he fire after the robbery when he is NO longer in danger, but now he makes other delivery guys more susceptible to being shot as well, as now the crooks don’t know if the driver has a weapon. if he has, they can take it from him and they have another gun.
The fact is that as these guys get out of their vehicles, unless the piece is in their hand, they can be robbed at gunpoint long before they can get their weapon ready.
In my neighborhood, once it is dark, Dominoes won’t deliver.
If the robber had fired first instead of the driver, then what? This guy decided playing Rambo to protect his pizza tips was worth endangering his life and putting his employer at risk of a lawsuit. His employer followed through on their policy.
Sorry, Weekend Warriors. Pizza guy escalated a mugging to a shoot out over petty cash. I wouldn’t employ him, either.
Dude tries to fire at delivery man.
Delivery man fires at the dude.
Big dude fires delivery man.
Dude! That just ain’t right.
@Orv:
care to cite those statistics you mentioned? thanks.
“If I can choose a company that doesn’t allow pizza men (who could likely be former convicts and/or current criminals) to be armed, I would definitely choose that company.”
This reasoning is just so specious. If a pizza guy is coming to your house to mug or kill you, I don’t think the company’s no gun policy is going to stop them.
I suppose I understand both sides of this, but I’d imagine Pizza Hut will cave on this one.
Sad he got fired for defending himself. If I was a pizza delivery guy, I would carry a concealed weapon on my person at all times. Screw company policy.
I’ll sign on for a boycott.
Hey … the worst thing Pizza Hut could have done was to let him keep his job.
At this point, the man has a chance to avoid being doomed to remain … a pizza boy.
@candace21: Pizza Hut won’t cave. Too many liability issues for them.
I’d been in a similar situation myself … forced to draw a properly permitted CCW pistol on a mugger … then fired for doing it while on company time.
I went out and got a better job, with folks who considered my actions laudable.
@Moosehawk: If he had delivered my pizza I probably would have been a little scared.
Why? do you have x-ray vision to spot his concealed handgun? And if you do have x-ray vision, why are you scared of a pizza delivery guy when you can give him cancer?
@witeowl:
Are the police trying to embolden lowlifes?
No, they’re just not obligated to protect you from them. (they ARE obligated to try and catch your murderer however.)
I’m glad he stook up for himself.
@fordpickup: @
“Personally, I would rather not have coworkers toting guns around. Remember when postal workers had a high mortality rate due to the instability of their peers?”
Guess what? The Postal Service has ALWAYS had a policy against carrying a weapon. In fact, you are not allowed to carry a weapon on ANY Federal Property without a special permit. If any of the other postal workers had been allowed to be armed, the miscreants who killed so many people needlessly could have been stopped sooner.
As for me, I sent a message directly to Pizza Hut as soon as I heard about this and informed them that they have lost a good customer because of their action. I also asked what they would have told his survivors if he had not been able to defend himself. What would you tell them? “Oh, well, that’s tough that he got killed on the job, but at least he followed our policy and was unarmed and, therefore, unable to defend himself.”
Get real, people. The scumbags out there like the one who tried to rob him are not going to pay any attention to any laws, much less policies. The only ones who benefit from these stupid policies are the bad guys, because they know that their potential victims will not be able to do anything to protect themselves.
if you would of listened when you got hired you would of heard that under pizza huts policy is that if you get robbed you give them what you want most of the time its your money and your food thats all. i have been deliverying for along time for several companies and pizza hut is one of them.it should of been very clear that if you carry a weapon while your on the clock and you are caught with that weapon you will be fired on the spot.you let off a few rounds.your lucky that he didnt come back with a few of his own.so pizza hut was justified in firing the individual.and if your wondering i have been robbed twice and wasnt physically injured on either.my ADVICE to anyone who deliveries for a living needs to listen to what the company tells you what to do in case of robbery.if you cant handle it you need to find another job.