Armed TN Hero Gets Faint Praise From Memphis Cop
Date: Aug 12, 2006 11:55 AM
The “surrender to your attacker” thought process is touted by the Memphis PD.
A silly and dangerous concept, correctly rejected by a courageous citizen.

The New GUN WEEK, August 10, 2006
Page 6

Armed TN Hero Gets Faint Praise From Memphis Cop

An armed citizen in Memphis, TN, who intervened in a bloody
July 21 knife attack by a grocery store employee got faint
praise from local police, despite the fact that his actions
may have prevented further mayhem.

According to The Memphis Commercial Appeal and Associated
Press (AP), the suspect in this crime faces nine counts of
attempted first-degree murder. He was identified as
Elartrice ?Marcell? Ingram, 21. The man who grabbed a 9mm
pistol from his pickup truck and brought the stabbings to a
halt was identified as Chris Cope, a manager at a Beneficial
Finance service office near the store where the crimes
occurred.

Cope was quoted by AP as noting, ?When he (Ingram) turned
and saw my pistol, he threw the knife away, put his hands up
and got on the ground. He saw my gun and that was pretty
much it.?

But while Memphis Police Sgt. Vince Higgins commended
Cope?s actions, he added, ?We don?t encourage people to take
that kind of risk. He could have been hurt.?

By the time Cope intervened, several other people had
already been hurt, and Cope stopped it according to one of
the victims, Justin Murchison. He told The Commercial
Appeal that if Cope had not stepped in, ?I?d be dead.?
Murchison was one of several people who fled the Cordova
Schnucks store with the suspect hot on their heels. When
Murchison finally could not run anymore, he reportedly
turned to face Ingram, and a moment later, Cope had the
suspect at gunpoint, on the ground.

Authorities said the attack apparently grew out of a work
dispute, and that all the victims were store employees.