Chicago Uber Driver With Concealed-Carry License Shot An Armed Gunman Firing Into A Crowd

A Chicago Uber driver, legally carrying a concealed weapon, shot and wounded a gunman who was firing shots into a crowd of people Friday night, NBC Chicago is reporting.

The unnamed Uber driver had just dropped off a passenger and was sitting in his parked car when a gunman – later identified as Everardo Custodio – firing a handgun into a group of people. The Chicago Tribune notes that the crowd of people was in front of the Uber driver’s car.

The driver then retrieved a shotgun and fired six shots at the gunman. Custodio was hit in the shin, knee, and lower back. Chicago police arrived to find the gunman on the ground and bleeding; his gun was also retrieved from the scene. He was taken to an area hospital, where he remains, as of this post.

Custodio was charged with aggravated assault, aggravated battery with a firearm, and illegal possession of a firearm. A Cook County judge refused to grant him bail.

During the investigation, the Uber driver showed police his legal, concealed-carry permit as well as his firearms owner’s identification card. Police did not charge the 47-year-old Uber driver with any crimes. Assistant State’s Attorney Barry Quinn said the driver was “acting in self-defense and in the defense of others.”

As The Daily Caller writer Chuck Ross notes, as recently as a year ago this situation could have played out quite differently. Illinois became the last state to allow concealed-carry, passing a law allowing gun owners to lawfully carry concealed weapons in 2013. Even so, the state didn’t began issuing concealed-carry permits until February 2014. Had Illinois not passed this law, either the Uber driver wouldn’t have been able to intervene in the shooting, or he would have been carrying his weapon illegally.

Gun-control proponents insist that Chicago – nicknamed “Chiraq” because of its appalling amount of gun violence – needs fewer guns on the streets, not more, according to The Daily Beast. In April 2014, Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy called for stricter gun control in the city, which already at the time had some of the strictest gun-control laws in the country.

“Until we do something about guns, don’t expect things to change overnight.”

However, The Washington Times reports that crime has gone down in Chicago since Illinois began issuing concealed-carry permits. Richard Pearson, of the Illinois State Rifle association, says that easing the Windy City’s tight gun-control laws is the obvious reason for the decrease.

“It isn’t any coincidence crime rates started to go down when concealed carry was permitted. Just the idea that the criminals don’t know who’s armed and who isn’t has a deterrence effect.”

Uber, for its part, simply requires that its drivers obey state and local gun laws. Uber will interview the Chicago driver to make sure no crimes or violations of policy were committed; but as of this post, the Chicago Uber driver remains on the job.

[Image courtesy of: Shutterstock/koi88]