The Best Defense: True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves with a Firearm (Cumberland House Publishing, 1998) by Robert A. Waters
When Gary Baker, a Richmond, Virginia businessman, arrived at work on December 2, 1994, he had no idea that his up-scale jewelry store was targeted for armed robbery by the Dixie Mafia. In a shoot-out that rivaled the OK Corral, Baker and his staff fought back, killing both armed assailants. Between them, the robbers’ arrest records incredibly spanned nearly a century! Prior convictions included burglary, armed robbery, assault, kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder.
On the morning of May 9, 1996, Sammie Foust was cleaning her Cape Coral, Florida home when a stocking-masked intruder burst into her bedroom. He robbed her of money and jewelry, and began beating her because he thought she had more. Using a boxcutter, he cut her throat and sliced her face. Foust was able to halt the attack when she retrieved a .25 caliber semi-automatic pistol from her bed. An autopsy revealed that her attacker had crack cocaine in his system. He had recently been granted early release from Florida’s notorious “turnstile” prison system.
The Best Defense is a collection of fascinating accounts of people who have successfully used firearms to defend themselves and others. What were their thoughts and feelings as the events unfolded? How did they react to being suddenly thrown into a life-or-death confrontation? How did each drama unfold, and how was it resolved?
The Best Defense presents a dramatic picture of what is at stake in the fight against crime at the level where it occurs: victim vs. perpetrator. In many cases, self-defense with the use of firearms proves to be the law-abiding citizen’s only opportunity to save himself, his loved ones, or even strangers from attack.
On January 21, 1994, Travis Dean Neel was traveling to a shooting range near Houston. In front of him, a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy had pulled over a gang of car thieves. Neel saw the criminals ambush the deputy, dropping him with a barrage of gunfire. The armed citizen stopped his pickup, grabbed his own gun, and placed himself between the fallen officer and the perpetrators. In a blistering gun battle, Neel drove off the attackers, and was instrumental in their capture. The deputy, wounded four times, recovered, and Neel was awarded Harris County Citizen of the Year.
While writing The Best Defense, the author spoke with law enforcement officers, as well as survivors of crime who used weapons to protect themselves and others. In addition, he used newspaper articles, trial transcripts, police reports and other documents to accurately portray what it’s like to be attacked by murderous criminals.
This book is currently out of print but may be purchased at Amazon.com