An armed customer is credited with saving lives by shooting an ax-wielding man at a 7-Eleven convenience store last weekend in Boulevard Park, a neighborhood in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area of Washington State. The attacker, identified as Steven Blacktongue, 43, died at the scene.
Steven Blacktongue. (Photo: Washington State Department of Corrections)
The hatchet attack took place early Sunday morning around 6 a.m. Witnesses say Blacktongue, wearing a mask, armed with a hand ax for splitting wood, walked into the store and began to attack. He didn’t say anything, give any commands or demand any money from the clerk or the customers. But just as soon as the attack started, a customer drew his handgun and put it to an end.
The clerk was slashed across the torso but was able to go home on the same day. Witnesses say Blacktongue was swinging to kill, and the clerk, Kuldeep Singh, was glad to have someone step in and save his life.
“What we’re seeing right now is that this customer is a good Samaritan,” said King County Public Information Officer Cindi West to KIRO7 News. “What everybody says is that he didn’t say anything. He just walked in the store, had the hatchet, and started attacking people. Had this guy not shot, who knows what would’ve happened. We might have a dead clerk right now and instead we have a dead bad guy,” West said.
“We do not see any wrongdoing on the part of the customer. In fact, he probably saved lives in this case,” added West. Blacktongue managed to slash the store clerk two or three times before the concealed-carrier was able to intervene.
See Also: Female Victim Speaks Out After Shooting Attacker in Throat
The brave customer, age 60, whose name has been withheld, was drinking his morning coffee when the attack started. According to the county sheriff’s department, the man was too shaken to provide a statement. Both Singh and a clerk at a nearby convenience store described the regular as a good guy who did the right thing.
Although no charges are expected the shooting will still go to the King Count, Wash. Prosecutor’s Office for review. Sheriff’s deputies called the man a hero. The man had a valid concealed-carry permit at the time of the shooting.
So far no motivation has been discovered behind the attack, and it’s possible that none will ever be found.
I see stores here in IL with NO GUN signs everywhere. It is apparent that the convenient store owner wasn’t so inclined to display the dreaded red circled gun with a line through it, allowing the trained armed citizen to act. Thank God.
Assault hatchet – otherwise known as a tomahawk.
Obviously, if the Feds required all axes to be registered, and background checks for all ax purchasers, this senseless loss of life would have never happened.
Hey Kemosabe, you should not bring a hatchet to a gun fight. You got what you deserved !!!
We the People have to be prepared to surround and protect those that use their private weapons in defense of themselves and others.
There will be hostile communities that take action “against” those of us who choose to use our 2nd Amendment rights to carry a weapon.
Taking the life of another human is NOT a normal human function. As this 60 year old savior found out, he couldn’t even answer to the basic police questioning regarding shooting the attempted murderer.
And IMO this would be the typical response of a law-abiding citizen protecting themselves. He drew when he HAD to NOT because he could, and protected himself and those around him from fatal injury, and he now suffers the consequences of carrying the knowledge that he took another human life. All for the right reasons. Not a gung ho he man out to prove a point or show off his macho power, which seems to be what all the gun grabbers think concealed carry responsible citizens are and they think will happen with constitutional carry rights. Unfortunately, now he has to go through the investigation where he has to measure his words and thoughts to prevent a gung ho prosecutor from charging him because they can.
This happened in Burien, WA, less than 5 miles from my home. I have been in that 7-11, and kudos to the shooter for making an accurate shot in that cluttered business. It isn’t enough just to be armed, we should all strive to be more than just proficient with our weapons.
Good for this man. I can understand his need for some decompression time before giving a statement. It is nice to see KCSO give him the time, like they extend to officers. Others complain about how cops “get special care” following a shooting. Well, all good guys need that time. A family member with KCSO did get in a shooting nearly 30 years ago. Another “man with a knife” call. The suspect did not follow commands and moved towards the two officers. They shot. He died. The family was present, and had called for help, and supported the officers. Both got 30 days leave. Thirty years ago I worked near that store. Even then it was a typical busy metro area with all kinds of issues. The area just naturally attracts people of all types, often the low level criminal types. It is the northern flight path for SeaTac, and like most airports the drug and prostitution crimes are common.
Oh well another “hatchetman” bites the dust ~!
Too bad he was at wrong century timeline.
Don’t hold your breath on that. FBI says there are plenty of bad guys and gals out there including a large number of people with mental problems. Bi-Polar conditions seems to be very abundant in the population. All I can say is, make sure you have a good bead on the bad guy…….
That is why many of us CC, to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and innocent by standers should we ever be be in a similar position.
It’s better to have the weapon and the ability to engage a hostile threat if that’s the best course of action, then be a unarmed sheep able to only witness the violence unable to effectively intervene or stop the threat from making you and your family the next victim.
Good job. I hope all of us conceal carriers can do the same thing if God forbid this should happen near us.