Former Firefighter Speaks About Confronting Armed Man at MO Walmart

Andy Bean

“If I wasn’t there, I’m worried there might have been a loss of life.” Former firefighter and medic Andy Bean spoke to JEMS Managing Editor Jeff Frankel about confronting an armed man late last week at a Walmart in Missouri.

According to th Associated Press, a man showed up at a Springfield (MO) Walmart store carrying a rifle and wearing body armor, prompting shoppers to flee in terror. The event occurred after deadly rampages at a Walmart in El Paso and another in Mississippi left a total of 24 people slain.

Lt. Mike Lucas told The Springfield News-Leader that an off-duty firefighter held the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived shortly thereafter.

Bean, a former Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection District firefighter and EMT, told JEMS he was the one who drew his gun on the man in question. JEMS could not verify the account with the Greene County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Springfield Police Department.

Read the entirety of Bean’s story on the JEMS Web site.

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