OCEAN SPRINGS -- Phyllis Gigl said two alleged robbers picked on the wrong person when they conspired to steal her purse. She pulled a .380-caliber handgun out of a holster in her slacks and pointed it their way.
She had a message for the men Friday: “You messed with the wrong grandmother.”
Gigl, 61, said she and her husband started carrying the same type handgun about a year ago to protect themselves from incidents such as the one Wednesday night outside the U.S. 90 Walmart.
Gigl was loading groceries into the back of her vehicle when one of the men came up from behind and started trying to wrestle Gigl’s purse from her hand. In a matter of seconds, she said, she had her gun out and was poised to do what she had to do to protect herself and her belongings.
“When it happened, it was scary,” she said Friday. “I didn’t know if the guy had a gun or a knife.”
Donald James Peckinpaugh, 27, and Vernon Dale Rowe, 33, were arrested and charged with strong-arm robbery. Both said they were homeless. No one was injured.
Police identified the men after reviewing Walmart’s surveillance video and canvassing the area. They found the men in a room at the Imperial Motel. The two remained jailed Friday, each on a $75,000 bond.
Lt. John Flowers said it was obvious from the footage the two men had been scouting for a target.
“They purposely targeted someone they thought was easy prey,” Flowers said, adding Gigl had every right to protect herself and her belongings. “Let this be a lesson to criminals about a committing a crime against anyone of any age.”
Gigl said she and her husband, David, got the weapons because of all the violence they see going on today.
“People are shooting people for no reason,” she said. “They are killing people for no reason. We don’t want to be any part of that. We carry them so nobody will hurt us.”
The two practiced using their weapons, she said, at a hunting club in Pascagoula. She said she carries the gun in her purse or in her holster, but usually in her holster because she wants easy access to the gun in case something happens.
“I didn’t think I’d have to use it,” she said. “But I’d use it again.”
‘You messed with the wrong grandmother’ - Ocean Springs - SunHerald.com
She's become somewhat of a local hero here. My wife is now considering getting her own CCW and taking classes/courses. I think I'll go too.
She had a message for the men Friday: “You messed with the wrong grandmother.”
Gigl, 61, said she and her husband started carrying the same type handgun about a year ago to protect themselves from incidents such as the one Wednesday night outside the U.S. 90 Walmart.
Gigl was loading groceries into the back of her vehicle when one of the men came up from behind and started trying to wrestle Gigl’s purse from her hand. In a matter of seconds, she said, she had her gun out and was poised to do what she had to do to protect herself and her belongings.
“When it happened, it was scary,” she said Friday. “I didn’t know if the guy had a gun or a knife.”
Donald James Peckinpaugh, 27, and Vernon Dale Rowe, 33, were arrested and charged with strong-arm robbery. Both said they were homeless. No one was injured.
Police identified the men after reviewing Walmart’s surveillance video and canvassing the area. They found the men in a room at the Imperial Motel. The two remained jailed Friday, each on a $75,000 bond.
Lt. John Flowers said it was obvious from the footage the two men had been scouting for a target.
“They purposely targeted someone they thought was easy prey,” Flowers said, adding Gigl had every right to protect herself and her belongings. “Let this be a lesson to criminals about a committing a crime against anyone of any age.”
Gigl said she and her husband, David, got the weapons because of all the violence they see going on today.
“People are shooting people for no reason,” she said. “They are killing people for no reason. We don’t want to be any part of that. We carry them so nobody will hurt us.”
The two practiced using their weapons, she said, at a hunting club in Pascagoula. She said she carries the gun in her purse or in her holster, but usually in her holster because she wants easy access to the gun in case something happens.
“I didn’t think I’d have to use it,” she said. “But I’d use it again.”
‘You messed with the wrong grandmother’ - Ocean Springs - SunHerald.com
She's become somewhat of a local hero here. My wife is now considering getting her own CCW and taking classes/courses. I think I'll go too.