For those of us at the USCCA who work so hard to support the rights of lawful gun owners, there are few things as frustrating as stories of egregiously bad behavior by someone who was legally carrying a gun. Not only are such cases depressing on their own merit, but they can often make life more difficult for the rest of us who routinely carry firearms for self-defense.
Just such an incident occurred in November of 2012, outside a Jacksonville, Florida convenience store. Some of you may be familiar with the case. But many people know little about it, since this shooting occurred right around the time that the media frenzy was focusing on the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case.
Based on news reports and trial testimony, what we do know is that Michael David Dunn, a 47-year-old software developer, had been at his son’s wedding earlier in the day. At some point, Dunn decided to go run down to a gas station and convenience store, along with a female companion, Rhonda Rouer.
Upon arrival at the store, Dunn pulled into the parking spot adjacent to an SUV containing four teenage boys. Rhonda Rouer left and entered the store to “pick up some wine and chips.” Meanwhile, Dunn was annoyed by what was described as “loud, heavy bass rap music” coming from the SUV, and asked the boys to turn it down.
The driver of the vehicle, Tommie Stornes, was in the store, so front-seat passenger Tevin Thompson turned the volume down. It was then that, according to the other boys in the vehicle, 17-year-old Jordan Davis, sitting in the rear seat, became “extremely upset” and told Thompson to “turn it back up.”
As Tommy Stornes returned to the vehicle, the argument between Dunn and Davis escalated, the two shouting at each other through their respective windows. It was during this exchange that Dunn claimed he saw what “looked like a shotgun” inside the SUV, retrieved a handgun from his vehicle’s glove compartment, and began firing.
As the driver of the SUV backed up to escape, Dunn then opened his door and exited his vehicle and continued shooting at the retreating teens. According to forensics reports, Dunn fired a total of 10 rounds into the SUV, hitting Davis multiple times in the legs, lungs and aorta. Stornes drove the SUV to a nearby parking lot. Davis died shortly thereafter.
Rouer returned to Dunn’s vehicle, but Dunn did not notify police. Instead, they went back to the hotel where they had been staying. The next morning, they decided to cut their visit short, and went back to Dunn’s home in Satellite Beach, where he was arrested. No surprise, several witnesses had taken down his license number at the site of the shooting.
Ultimately, Dunn was tried twice — the first trial, in February of 2014, ended when the jury agreed on attempted murder charges but could not agree on the murder charge. He was found guilty of murder on October 1, 2014. He was sentenced to life, plus 90 years. Dunn appealed, but in November of 2016, his appeal was denied. Case closed.
You and I could list the numerous bad decisions that Mr. Dunn made that night, but it would be pointless; the bottom line is that this entire incident should never have even happened. All Mr. Dunn had to do was … nothing.
