Earlier this week in St. Louis, a criminal met his maker after an attempted carjacking. An armed driver in St. Louis shot and killed the suspected carjacker as he was attempting to steal his car at a gas station.

The shooting marks yet another case of an armed citizen successfully defending themselves from an attempted carjacking in the city of St. Louis. In recent weeks, there have been numerous reports of carjackings in the area, with some suspects even using sliding tactics to gain access to vehicles at gas stations.

Trish Mayfield, one such victim of a sliding carjacking attempt, spoke out about her experience earlier this month: “I was getting gas at my local station when I noticed something was wrong… I saw two guys walking towards me and they were trying to get into my vehicle” she said.

Fortunately for Mayfield and others like her, many citizens are taking it upon themselves to protect their property by carrying firearms and being prepared to use them if necessary. This is what happened on Monday night when an off-duty St. Louis sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a 27-year-old man who had allegedly attempted to carjack him in Spanish Lake area.

The suspect has since been identified as William Burgess, who lived in the 3700 block of Cote Brilliante Avenue in St. Louis City according to police records. He is believed to be connected with other recent carjacking incidents in the area that took place over the weekend and may have been part of a larger criminal operation targeting innocent drivers for their vehicles or valuables inside them.

It is unclear whether or not Burgess had any prior convictions or arrests related to similar offenses before his death but it does serve as a reminder that no matter where you live or how safe your neighborhood may seem, criminals can strike anywhere at any time, so it pays to be prepared and vigilant when out on the roads or visiting public places like gas stations late at night or early morning hours when fewer people are around.

In light of this incident and others like it, many people are now calling for increased security measures at local businesses such as installing more cameras or hiring additional security guards during peak hours, but ultimately it will be up to each individual person to take responsibility for their own safety by carrying firearms if they choose and being aware of their surroundings while out in public spaces so they can better protect themselves from potential threats like carjackers or other criminals looking for easy targets.

I’ve seen that in some locations, though I can’t recall where, they actually hired armed men to stand outside at gas stations to bolster security.