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Century Man Held Two At Gunpoint After Wrongly Thinking They Shoplifted, ECSO Says
February 16, 2023
A Century man is facing multiple felony charges for holding two people at gunpoint after he apparently thought they were shoplifting from a local Dollar General, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
Edward Joseph Rose, 41, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of felony kidnapping false imprisonment, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and reckless display of a firearm.
Rose told the ECSO that he was shopping inside the Dollar General on North Century Boulevard at Highway 4A when he heard a series of screams about a woman stealing from the store. He told deputies that he exited the store and followed the woman and her boyfriend out to the sidewalk.
“Rose stated that he pulled out his concealed firearm but did not remove it from the holster and began yelling at (the two individuals) to stop, then demanded (them) to return back to the store and wait for law enforcement,” according to an ECSO arrest report.
The store manager told deputies that the woman paid for all of her items. The manager went outside to tell the woman’s boyfriend to leave due to previous encounters and that law enforcement was being contacted, the report states. The manager told deputies that the anti-theft alarm did sound as the woman exited the store with a group of people, but she was not suspected of shoplifting.
The woman and her boyfriend said Rose pointed a silver firearm at them and ordered them to return to the store, which they did, the report states. Two additional witnesses corroborated their statements.
The firearm was a loaded .38 special revolver, and “very little silver shows from the pistol if it is in the holster,” the report states.
Rose was released from the Escambia County Jail on a $26000.
Comments
26 Responses to “Century Man Held Two At Gunpoint After Wrongly Thinking They Shoplifted, ECSO Says”
Too bad they couldn’t make him eat that gun! It was absolutely none of his business. The store wasn’t being robbed. If he knew or even thought he’d done the right thing, why did he tell that blatant lie that he didn’t pull it from the holster? He should’ve let the store call the police if they thought a theft had taken place.
*Imo this dude is a moron! For some reason he thought he was a tough guy. The only thing in that store that pulling out a weapon is reasonable for is the safety of the workers and the public. Certainly NOT because someone MAY have stolen something. This is a guy that was just waiting for an opportunity to pull that weapon. **Jim Stanton I’m glad you were carrying during those crimes. For yourself and definitely for helping that woman. You are right good deeds rarely get reported. ***Come on everyone there is a huge difference between a dumbass tough guy(eye roll) with a gun and your neighbor that legally purchases and carries.
So, should we assume a person pointing a gun at customers is the good guy?
Good thing anyone will be able to have a concealed weapon without a license, soon.
Some are acting as if this isn’t a big deal. It is!!!! What if said gun went off accidentally killing someone. The very fact that he thinks it’s okay to play the police, scare people with his firearm and kidnap them is shocking!!!!
@Jim,,, I’m glad those situations had a happy ending.
Tried to correct but it won’t post….this phone is ridiculous…..HIS WEAPON WAS NOT HOLSTERED!!
Correction…..UNHOLSTERED!
Mike, the only misunderstanding was the application of the law. I was there that night. I indeed saw the whole thing. He absolutely didn’t have his gun holstered! That is a blatant lie. Also, the last time I checked, shoplifting at the Dollar General is not a felonious act that places himself and or others in imminent danger. Follow them while on the phone with the police is a choice. To pull a firearm on a woman and man while 7-10 ft away is not acceptable over ice cream and some groceries. Mr. Pope kept screaming I’m making a citizens arrest. Then once the cops show up on scene and attempt to place him in cuffs he tried to run back to his van where he had placed his firearm. He made an extremely poor choice and is quite lucky he didn’t take a dirt nap that night. I would be willing to bet that if it was your mom, sister or daughter that had a pistol shoved in their face you would be singing a different tune. I am all for the 2nd amendment and believe one has the right to carry to protect themselves or others from DEADLY force when needed. However, call me silly for thinking that shoplifting does not rise to that threat. Even better, it turns out the lady had in fact paid for her purchases because I tried to take care of the bill for them and was told that they had purchased everything. A little common sense and knowledge of the law goes a long way!
@mike
“Edward Joseph Rose, 41, was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of felony kidnapping false imprisonment, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and reckless display of a firearm.”
I guess we’ll see which charge, if any, will stick. Pointing a weapon at someone and ordering them to do something against their will seems to be more than a misunderstanding.
If you are going to cary you need to sit down and read Florida Firearms Law, Use &Ownership
This was an obvious misunderstanding. There is no reason to believe Rose had any malicious intent. I fail to see how this rises to the level of a crime, let alone a felony.
Where does the article say he was a has a concealed weapons permit? I see the article states the firearm was concealed but thats it. Folks on here are getting all anti-gun, tree hugging non-sense here because 1 guy did something. Lets address all the real thugs out here shooting dailing like it’s the wind west! Lets address the drug issues, drive-by shootings, kids killing kids…some of you are losing your minds over this one fella. Good grief!
Irresponsible CCW and gun owner should have both taken away
Too many guns, too many licenses, too little training.
Soon to come: Too many guns, no licenses, no training.
“Let no good deed go un-punished.”
@Robert Bruner, I have concealed carry license, I’ve used my gun several years ago to stop two men from raping a woman, then in 2010 someone tried to rob me in the Walmart parking lot in Ensley, I used my gun to stop him. A few years later two punks decided to take advantage of me and my mother in the same parking lot, all I did that time was pull my jacket back and the two punks saw that I was armed they had business across the parking lot. I thank God that I’ve never had to shoot anyone. You didn’t hear of any of those did you, when someone does something good it normally doesn’t make the news. I didn’t see anywhere in the article where this man has a concealed carry permit, it says he pulled his concealed firearm. I’ve seen several altercations in stores, but unless it’s a direct threat to me or someone with me I mind my own business.
When Florida becomes an open carry state, it will only get more dangerous. Anyone with a gun and no training or permit required.
he’s gonna learn the hard way. That was dumb.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Good guy with a gun, right?
CCF is for your safety and the safety of others. This man should have his CCF revoked immediately!
Good guy with a gun. What could go wrong.
DOH! I bet that’s the most he will ever spend (bail) after being at a Dollar General.
Good guy with a gun. Great in theory, bad in practice. But everyone knew that already.
Wow! The 1st thing you are taught in your concealed carry class is that you should never pull your weapon unless you are defending your life or the life of another person. You cannot use a weapon to defend a 3rd party’s property. People like him give the rest of us a bad name.