A Big Thank You to a Reluctant Hero. Thank You, Nick Meli, for Saving Lives At The Clackamas Town Center Mall Shooting

Nick Meli, The Good Guy
with the Gun

He is a reluctant hero but I was very proud to have him in studio today for his first long form interview to tell his story about what happened at the Clackamas Town Center shooting. Nick Meli was the good guy with the gun who stopped the bad guy with the gun on December 11th. His story is frightening and told in his humble, halting style it made it that more chilling, frankly. 

Thanks to all of you who called, wrote or tweeted to Nick Meli today. He was touched by those of you who said thank you. If you missed out please add to the few who posted a comment on the Victoria Taft Show facebook page or here.  I'm sure he'll be checking them.

Our long interview is located in the 1pm and 2pm hours of the show here and here. 

On December 11th, Nick heard gun shots and then took charge, got people to safety, called the cops--911 was busy--after which he realized he was on his own until the troops arrived. He secured his friends, ordered people to safety and then stalked the killer who had, by this time, killed Cindy Yuille and Steven Tyler and wounded a 15 year old girl.

A Grateful Community Says Thanks

Nick says he aimed his Glock 22 at the shooter who noticed him and looked alarmed. He could see under the shooter's hockey mask that the bad guy was shocked he was there and preparing to engage. As the shooter tried to clear his AR 15, Nick was preparing to take a shot when he saw movement in the Charlotte Russe store behind the shooter. He chose to take cover and reassess the situation because he didn't want to shoot an innocent. His next move was to go to the Macy's to see if the shooter would follow him there. Nick says he was positioning himself to kill him if he rounded the corner. It didn't come to that. The shooter had taken off to a service hallway where he killed himself. 

To Jane, the woman who called near the end of the interview whose daughter was in the Charlotte Russe, well, you made Nick feel that his choice to stand down for a second and reassess was worth it. It was, you see, movement in the Charlotte Russe store that jolted him from tunnel vision and convinced him not to take the shot.

The next shot heard was the one in which the bad guy took his own life. 

Nick is glad he didn't have to do it. 

Good on you, Nick. You're a hero. I'm glad we could give you an award and a special gift certificate to enjoy some fabulous pizza at MMA star Chael Sonnen's Mean Streets Pizza. Wish we could have done more. 

A grateful community should do no less.