Judge Sentences 19-Year-Old Who Stopped Mall Shooter, Asks Why He Had a Gun
A Michigan judge has drawn fierce criticism after sentencing a 19-year-old who fatally stopped a mall shooter—and then questioning why the young man had a gun in the first place.
As FOX 2 Detroit reported, Martinez Long was at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn on July 3 when a fight escalated. One of the people involved then opened fire inside the mall. The shooter was later identified as Cameron Watkins.
Watkins killed Keonte Seaborn, shot another individual, and continued firing inside the shopping center. Long was carrying a firearm and intervened. He fatally shot Watkins, ending the attack.
That should have been the end of the story. Instead, Long faced prosecution because he did not have a concealed-carry permit. Michigan residents cannot obtain a concealed-carry permit until they turn 21, according to the source account. Because Long was 19, that restriction became the basis for the case against him.
On September 8, Judge Sam Salamey sentenced Long to two years of probation for not having the permit. During the sentencing, Salamey asked:
“What do you need a gun for protection in a mall, in the first place?”
Salamey continued:
“Fortunately, you weren’t injured, but nonetheless, you had a gun there in the first place, which was poor judgment,” Salamey said to Long.
“And what do you need a gun for protection in a mall, in the first place?”
He then concluded:
“Nonetheless, I think this agreement is in the best interest of justice.”
The judge’s remarks put the central tension in the case in stark relief. Long was not the person who opened fire. According to the account, he used his firearm to confront the man who had already opened fire in a crowded mall. The account argues that additional innocent lives could have been lost if Long had not been armed and willing to act.
The central issue is not complicated. If a gunman is firing inside a mall, the presence of an armed person may be the only immediate obstacle between that attacker and more victims. Yet Long was punished for carrying the firearm that allowed him to respond.
Fairlane Town Center is also not the only shopping center or retail location where a deadly shooting has occurred. The source lists these examples from the past two decades:
- Allen Premium Outlets (Allen, Texas – May 6, 2023)
- Greenwood Park Mall (Greenwood, Indiana – July 17, 2022)
- Cielo Vista Mall / Walmart (El Paso, Texas – August 3, 2019)
- Westroads Mall (Omaha, Nebraska – December 5, 2007)
- Trolley Square (Salt Lake City, Utah – February 12, 2007)
- Tacoma Mall (Tacoma, Washington – November 20, 2005)
Families affected by those attacks can understandably wish an armed defender had been present when the shooting began. That is the uncomfortable lesson raised by Long’s case: A permit violation may be clear on paper, but the firearm also gave him the ability to stop an active shooter.
The old saying remains at the heart of the controversy: the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Salamey’s question suggests the opposite—that having a gun for protection in a mall is itself poor judgment. Long’s actions provide a powerful answer.
Source: The Gateway Pundit