Shopkeeper's heroic action
ORDINARY shopkeeper and extraordinary hero Dave Phillips overcame an armed and very agitated teenage boy yesterday after the 16-year-old allegedly stabbed a 15-year-old boy who later died from his injuries.
Mr Phillips had been walking towards Coles when he saw two teenage boys in a scuffle. His first impression was that they were mucking around, but as he got closer he noticed one of the youths had a large knife.
The alleged attacker threatened Mr Phillips, who grabbed a shopping trolley off a shopper to protect himself. As soon as the armed boy turned around, Mr Phillips jumped on his back and wrestled him to the ground.
He and a second brave bystander disarmed and restrained the struggling 16-year-old, putting him on the floor and holding him there until police arrived.
The brave Mary Street businessman received a minor stab wound to the middle of his back during the struggle.
Talking to The Gympie Times after the incident, Mr Phillips said he was lucky the knife was blunt, but it was also possible that he was luckier than that — the knife hit the bones of his spine, rather than a nerve or some other vital organ.
