According to police, a pair of good Samaritans Monday detained an alleged murderer in Hendersonville.
According to the Hendersonville police, Lloyd T. Martin shot two people in the front yard of a home.
“The two individuals were identified as Laura Undis (60) and Virginia Deirdre Sheen (67),” said a statement from the police.
“When officers arrived on the scene, good Samaritans had already detained [Martin],” that statement said.
Police did not identify the individuals who subdued the shooter.
Undis and Sheen were both transported to the hospital to treat their gunshot wounds, but both died from their injuries.
Police believe the motive of the shooting was a lover’s quarrel.
“Preliminary investigation revealed a failed relationship between Ms. Undis and Mr. Martin. An argument ensued on August 29, 2022, which carried out into the front yard of the residence,” the statement said. “A neighbor, Mrs. Sheen, attempted to intervene between Ms. Undis and Mr. Martin when Mr. Martin produced a pistol and began shooting, resulting in the death of Ms. Undis and Sheen. Hendersonville Police Officers took Mr. Martin into custody.”
Martin was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of aggravated assault.
Though many gun control groups seek to discredit good Samaritan stories, studies have confirmed that good guys with guns help deter bad guys with guns.
A Yale University study from 2000 says that good Samaritans often stop multiple victim shootings, noting that states with “longer training periods, lower fees, and the number of years since adoption reduce the number of people harmed from multiple victim shootings, though neither the effects from training periods nor fees is not statistically significant for murders.”
The National Rifle Association (NRA) also notes that as gun ownership rises, violent crime in America has decreased.
“Over the past three decades (1991-2019), violent crime rates have dropped by more than half. The number of privately-owned firearms in the United States doubled in that same period,” the NRA said. “The number of people carrying a firearm for protection outside the home has also risen to all-time highs as violent crime dropped.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Lloyd T. Martin” by Hendersonville, TN Police Department. Background Photo “Hendersonville Police Cruiser” by Thomas R Machnitzki. CC BY 3.0.
