Hansen: Des Moines man replaces pizza job — and his gun

By MARC HANSEN • mahan...@dmreg.com • July 20, 2009

James Spiers is back to work, but he isn't delivering pizzas this
time.

He's a route driver, supplying fast food and snack products to gas
stations, convenience stores and other businesses, making the rounds
in a company van.

And here's the kicker: Spiers says his boss lets him carry a handgun
on the job.

Not the .22-caliber Beretta that got him in trouble with Pizza Hut in
March 2008.

"A little larger caliber this time," he said, slightly understating
the matter. "A Ruger LCP .380."

LCP stands for "lightweight compact pistol." Spiers says the police
still have the Beretta - the one Spiers used to shoot the robber who
held a gun to his head and demanded his money. Even though Kenneth
Jimmerson was sentenced to prison for 27 years in December, the cops
tell Spiers they still might need the gun for evidence.

Spiers, 39, a single dad from Des Moines, was making a delivery to an
apartment complex on the southeast side. Here's how he tells the rest
of the story:

He entered the building, started upstairs and noticed somebody
following him. When he turned around, Jimmerson was there, holding a
gun, ordering him down from the stairs, telling him to face the door
and empty his pockets.

"I gave him everything he wanted," Spiers said. "Money, car keys. He
even took the pizza. He robbed me and got away with it."

When Spiers thought he heard the door close, he slowly turned around.
But Jimmerson hadn't left the stairwell. He approached Spiers a second
time, pointing the gun at his head. This time, Spiers figured he had
nothing left to give Jimmerson but his life.

"I'm thinking, 'This is it.' I'm waiting for the gunshot, waiting for
everything to go black, when I just reacted. I lunged for his hand,
kind of grabbing his wrist, and got locked into a violent struggle."

Whirling around the hallway, Spiers finally let go with one hand,
reached into his pocket, pulled out his gun and "pulled the trigger
again and again. He didn't drop until I'd fired a few times. I struck
him four times."

Spiers says he told Jimmerson he'd call an ambulance, but Jimmerson
told him no way; he wasn't going to jail.

Spiers had a valid permit to possess a concealed weapon. He passed a
certification course and got the go-ahead from the sheriff's office.

"They don't hand those things out like candy," he said.

But carrying a firearm violates Pizza Hut policy, so Spiers was
suspended and ultimately was cut loose with two weeks of severance
pay.

Next came the public debate. Was Spiers heroic or lucky he wasn't the
one who needed the ambulance? Was Pizza Hut discriminating against a
law-abiding citizen who was exercising a legal right, or was it
carrying out a perfectly reasonable policy?

Public sentiment leaned heavily in Spiers' favor. He'll always believe
his handgun saved his life. And his new boss seems to feel the same.

"He's OK with it," Spiers said. "He even told me he wishes 'more
people would shoot these SOBs.' "

Not every prospective employer felt the same. Finding full-time work
wasn't easy. The application process posed some problems. Under
"Reason for Leaving Last Job," Spiers would write, "We will discuss."

He declines to identify the name of his new company or boss. Spiers
figures there's no need to drag them into the discussion. But he likes
his new gig.

The job is full time but not exactly 9 to 5. He works some odd hours,
which is one reason he went back and qualified for another gun permit.

Spiers used his own car delivering pizza and received a "vehicle
compensation" stipend, which amounted to 75 cents per delivery and
wasn't making him rich. His new employer pays for his gas.

Spiers seems to have recovered from the ordeal. He's sleeping better
now. He even has fond memories about his old job.

Spiers spent 10 years delivering pizza for various employers and
enjoyed it. He came to appreciate the rhythm of the job and the
independence. Spiers misses the tips, his co-workers and even the
customers. Most of them.