Christopher Hambrick, a security guard at Shamrock Gardens Apartments in Atlanta, Georgia (pictured left), fatally shot a teenager, Canard Arnold, from southwest Atlanta last December. In light of the George Zimmerman / Travyon Martin case, where Zimmerman shot and killed the unarmed Martin, Hambick’s case has come into the local headlines again.
Fulton Country police didn’t arrest Hambrick but instead charged another man who was at the scene, Anthony Hines, with felony murder.
Hambrick reports that he came across Hines pursuing Arnold with a weapon. His instinct was to help Arnold, but then the teen also pulled a gun, pointing it at Hambrick. At that point, Hambrick says he was acting in self defense and had no choice but to fire on Arnold. The teen died from a bullet wound in the back. Canard Arnold’s family says they may pursue civil action against the security guard.
It’s instances like these when we at Curtis Protective Services are reminded just how important it is to have a well-trained security force. Only three people will ever truly know what happened that night. Having a security guard on the premises may have prevented a robbery on the grounds, as Hambrick said he suspected. The property has also had issues with drug sales on the premises.
A well-trained security guard will be able to identify potential threats to both community and commercial properties. When possible, he or she is trained to diffuse the situation verbally. If physical force is necessary, however, security guards must be trained to defend themselves and the innocent public. It is unfortunate that the situation at Shamrock Gardens escalated to gunfire and ended in the death of a young man. Who knows what may have happened, however, if there had been no safety and security presence on the property.
