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Civilian guards ordered to leave shopping center after one accidentally fires rifle

LANCASTER, Ohio — The owner of a shopping center that includes a storefront military recruitment center ordered armed civilians guarding the center to leave the premises today after one of them accidentally fired his rifle.

A Lancaster police officer delivered the order this afternoon from U.S. Properties Group Portfolio Four LLC, whose strip mall near the River Valley Mall includes the Armed Services Career Center. "God bless you," the officer told the armed volunteers, but leave the property.

A group of armed civilians have been guarding the recruiters inside the multi-branch center since Monday.

One of them has been charged with a misdemeanor after he accidentally fired his AR-15 rifle this afternoon.

One shot was fired, and no one was injured, Lt. Shane Wilson said.

Someone from the recruiting center at 1530 River Valley Blvd. flagged down an officer at 12:01 p.m. to report the incident, Wilson said.

The shopping-center owner issued a statement this afternoon saying that after the firearm discharge, it was decided "for the safety of tenants, customers and construction personnel working in the immediate vicinity of the Military Recruiting Center, it would be best to request the removal of the armed individuals."

Christopher A. Reed, 28, of Lancaster, was charged with discharging a firearm in the city limits, and was issued a summons to appear in Fairfield County Municipal Court on Tuesday, according to the police incident report.

Reed told the officer who responded that he was holding his AR-15 rifle in front of the military recruiting station to guard the personnel inside when someone approached him and asked if he could take a look at the weapon. Reed agreed to show him, and while he was trying to clear the ammunition from the weapon, he accidentally fired into the asphalt pavement.

The only damage was a hole in the pavement. The rifle was taken from Reed pending his appearance in court, the incident report says.

Conviction on the fourth-degree misdemeanor is punishable by a maximum of 30 days in jail.

Reed pleaded guilty and was convicted of the same offense in 2013, and was fined $50, court records show.

<broken link removed> and elsewhere following the fatal shootings of five service members at a military recruitment center in Tennessee.

Some armed civilians have been guarding military recruiting stations in Ohio and elsewhere following the fatal shootings of five service members at a military recruitment center in Tennessee.

Reed said in a telephone interview this afternoon that he had started guarding the recruiting station on Monday.

"I'm nobody special," Reed said. "I'm just a guy doing my job because my own government wouldn't do it."

Reed said he is not a military veteran. He described himself as an active gun enthusiast who makes a living working side jobs.

He downplayed the accidental shot fired.

"It is what it is," he said. "Nobody got hurt."

A Marine recruiter inside the center this afternoon said he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

Outside, before they were evicted, armed civilians discussed why they were there. None were present earlier today when the accidental shot was fired.

"Government ain't going to do it," said Kenneth Casteel, a 67-year-old Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam and sat in a folding chair with his M-16 rifle propped against it. "They won't give these guys any weapons to carry or keep in a safe. If we don't do it, who is going to do it? It's a matter of safety."

"We are not a redneck group," the Lancaster resident added. "We are prior military."

Passerby Lei Ashbaugh hailed the group. "Thank you, God bless you, Semper Fi," she said to Casteel as she noted the Marines ball cap he wore.

Ashbaugh, 48, of Lancaster, whose husband is a Marine veteran, said she was heartened to see the armed volunteers guarding the recruitment center.

"We have recruiters who can't defend themselves. Thank God for these people willing to defend them," she said.
 
As I was reading through this thread and linked article I was thinking, "I appreciate what this guy is doing, but I wish he would keep his weapon pointed in a safe direction (either up or down)."

Then I just read the previous post...
 
Civilian guards ordered to leave shopping center after one accidentally fires rifle

LANCASTER, Ohio — The owner of a shopping center that includes a storefront military recruitment center ordered armed civilians guarding the center to leave the premises today after one of them accidentally fired his rifle.

A Lancaster police officer delivered the order this afternoon from U.S. Properties Group Portfolio Four LLC, whose strip mall near the River Valley Mall includes the Armed Services Career Center. "God bless you," the officer told the armed volunteers, but leave the property.

A group of armed civilians have been guarding the recruiters inside the multi-branch center since Monday.

One of them has been charged with a misdemeanor after he accidentally fired his AR-15 rifle this afternoon.

One shot was fired, and no one was injured, Lt. Shane Wilson said.

Someone from the recruiting center at 1530 River Valley Blvd. flagged down an officer at 12:01 p.m. to report the incident, Wilson said.

The shopping-center owner issued a statement this afternoon saying that after the firearm discharge, it was decided "for the safety of tenants, customers and construction personnel working in the immediate vicinity of the Military Recruiting Center, it would be best to request the removal of the armed individuals."

Christopher A. Reed, 28, of Lancaster, was charged with discharging a firearm in the city limits, and was issued a summons to appear in Fairfield County Municipal Court on Tuesday, according to the police incident report.

Reed told the officer who responded that he was holding his AR-15 rifle in front of the military recruiting station to guard the personnel inside when someone approached him and asked if he could take a look at the weapon. Reed agreed to show him, and while he was trying to clear the ammunition from the weapon, he accidentally fired into the asphalt pavement.

The only damage was a hole in the pavement. The rifle was taken from Reed pending his appearance in court, the incident report says.

Conviction on the fourth-degree misdemeanor is punishable by a maximum of 30 days in jail.

Reed pleaded guilty and was convicted of the same offense in 2013, and was fined $50, court records show.

<broken link removed> and elsewhere following the fatal shootings of five service members at a military recruitment center in Tennessee.

Some armed civilians have been guarding military recruiting stations in Ohio and elsewhere following the fatal shootings of five service members at a military recruitment center in Tennessee.

Reed said in a telephone interview this afternoon that he had started guarding the recruiting station on Monday.

"I'm nobody special," Reed said. "I'm just a guy doing my job because my own government wouldn't do it."

Reed said he is not a military veteran. He described himself as an active gun enthusiast who makes a living working side jobs.

He downplayed the accidental shot fired.

"It is what it is," he said. "Nobody got hurt."

A Marine recruiter inside the center this afternoon said he was not authorized to speak to reporters.

Outside, before they were evicted, armed civilians discussed why they were there. None were present earlier today when the accidental shot was fired.

"Government ain't going to do it," said Kenneth Casteel, a 67-year-old Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam and sat in a folding chair with his M-16 rifle propped against it. "They won't give these guys any weapons to carry or keep in a safe. If we don't do it, who is going to do it? It's a matter of safety."

"We are not a redneck group," the Lancaster resident added. "We are prior military."

Passerby Lei Ashbaugh hailed the group. "Thank you, God bless you, Semper Fi," she said to Casteel as she noted the Marines ball cap he wore.

Ashbaugh, 48, of Lancaster, whose husband is a Marine veteran, said she was heartened to see the armed volunteers guarding the recruitment center.

"We have recruiters who can't defend themselves. Thank God for these people willing to defend them," she said.


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