Fearless shop owner who chased off gunman: ‘It was either me or him’

There was no room for fear for Caymanian shop owner Kevin Gourzong on Friday as a masked man pointed a firearm at him, in a robbery attempt.

“When that gun was pointing at me, it’s just like you’re going on the battlefield – you are either going to fight or you are going to give your life up to another man,” Gourzong told the Compass.

Backing down was not an option for Gourzong, who reached for his machete after the man – dressed in all black, with a hoodie, mask, and carrying a handgun – entered his Bodden Town store demanding cash.

The exchange, which was caught on CCTV, showed Gourzong challenging the gunman, shouting “What are you going to do with that [gun]?” before demanding that the would-be robber “shoot”.

Apparently caught off guard by Gourzong’s response, the gunman fled as Gourzong chased behind him, holding the machete.

“It’s either me or him, but if you back down, then he’ll win.”

He recalled that over the nine years that he has operated his corner convenience store, robberies have occurred but not while he was on the premises.

“It happened at the same place but not with me,” he said. “When I work, I don’t use the lock. I make my workers use it, so they can feel safe but I na ‘fraid of nobody.”

When asked about possibly arming himself with better protection, Gourzong dismissed that option, noting that it would only cause more issues if shop owners were allowed to have firearms.

“We don’t need firearms,” he said, adding that government was taking too long to bring in legislation to allow pepper spray for self defence.

He said that if he doesn’t protect his livelihood, no one will.

“If they take $10,000, that’s gone. They should reimburse you, but the court isn’t doing that. I hope after this, the small business owners will toughen up because if you keep giving, they will keep coming. And the court na reimbursing us, so we have to defend ourselves when they come out and decide to do their foolishness.”

Gourzong said while he understands why some people engage in criminal activity, he has no sympathy for them, noting “that doesn’t give anybody the right to rob you, because it’s your things and you can’t make these boys take something that’s not for them.”

The attempted robbery was one of four such incidents on Friday, 3 Nov.

Anyone with information on any of the incidents can call the Criminal Investigations Department on 949-4222.

Anonymous tips can be provided directly to police on the Confidential Tip Line at 949-7777, or on the website.

Tips can also be submitted anonymously on the Cayman Crime Stoppers website.