The woman who took the law into her own hands and fired multiple rounds at an alleged shoplifter in the Auburn Hills Home Depot has been identified as Tatiana Duva-Rodriguez, a 46-year old woman from Clarkston. She has been charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, a misdemeanor that could result in a maximum 90 days in jail and a possible fine of up to $500 for the woman.
Local law enforcement agents were not pleased with her “assistance”.
“The investigation concerned allegations that Duva-Rodriguez shot at the tires of a passing truck in the misguided attempt to disable the vehicle to stop two reported shoplifters,” a joint statement,” [Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica R.] Cooper said in a prepared statement. “If this is proven, I find it very disturbing that someone would take out their gun in a busy parking lot and shoot at the tires of a passing car.“Once fired, the bullet could have easily ricocheted or fragmented and injured or killed someone else.”
Cooper said the bystander could have been more helpful had she taken out her cell phone to take pictures of the vehicle or its license plate. […]
“We are grateful that nothing more serious happened as a result of the decision to fire a weapon in a busy parking lot,” said Auburn Hills Police Chief Doreen Olko. “We do not encourage bystanders to insert themselves into incidents because of the potential for deadly consequences.”
You have to wonder how different things would have turned out if the alleged shoplifter was a white guy and the person with the gun a black guy.
It’s uncertain to me if this means Duva-Rodriguez’s concealed pistol license will be revoked. Michigan law states you are ineligible to receive a CPL if you’ve been convicted of reckless discharge of a firearm “in the 8 years immediately preceding the date of application”. I was unable to identify whether this is also cause to revoke an existing CPL. Let me know if you know the answer to this.
[CC photo of Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd’s “Non-Violence” sculpture: François Polito | Wikimedia Commons]
