Self Defense Shooting Thwarts Carjacking in Florida

In the early morning hours in a residential area of Jacksonville, Florida, two men asked Keith Loftin and his friends for a ride in Loftin’s truck. One man then pulled out a gun and instructed Loftin to get into the truck. A friend of Loftin, Barry Smith, retrieved a gun from a nearby house and Loftin pulled out his own gun from his truck. Both men fired at the carjacker who was threatening both Loftin and Smith with a gun, hitting him multiple times and rendering him completely incapacitated.

The carjacker was taken, under police custody, to a nearby medical center in stable condition. The second carjacker fled the scene and was only vaguely identified. The man in custody has been charged with armed carjacking.

The incident is under investigation but both Loftin and his friend were carrying weapons legally and all evidence points to the shooting being self defense.

Loftin and Smith’s quick thinking prevented injury to either party or the loss of property (the truck). Some reports maintain that the carjacker was aiming the gun at Loftin’s head when the ensuing struggle resulted in him being shot. Loftin’s swift response to a dangerous situation neutralized the danger of being immediately shot and also prevented removing Loftin to a second location, which is far more dangerous for a crime victim than staying and fighting in the location of the original attack.

Loftin was well within his rights to self defense and was lucky, also, to have a friend willing to defend him as well. The two carjackers probably wish they had not attempted to steal that particular truck.