Party store customer swipes masked man's gun, kills him

[RamboLiberal]

Police are still looking for two armed robbers after a party store customer shot and killed their accomplice Saturday night.

Three men were robbing the Super Y party store at the corner of Middlebelt and Ecorse roads at 9:30 p.m. Saturday when the customer, 37, and his fiancee, 35, both from Highland Park, walked in, Romulus Police Chief Michael St. Andre said.

The couple made a random stop at the store as the robbery was taking place, St. Andre said.

“They were ambushed and the female was ordered to the ground at gunpoint,” St. Andre said. “He began pleading with the suspect not to shoot her.”

Instead, one gunman pointed his weapon at the man, who grabbed it. They struggled, and the witness shot the gunman twice, according to investigators. The gunman then stumbled out the front door, collapsed and died, St. Andre said.

http://freep.com/article/20100315/NEWS02/100315016/

Sounds like in this case the gunman was threatening this couple - no way for them to know if they would be shot and the guy did a gutsy thing.

[virgogal]

1. Those robbers went looking for trouble and found it.

[slackmaster]

2. Clearly the store owner was emboldened by the presence of a firearm

:scared:

[shadowrider]

6. If all new guns and ammo sales were stopped

and the rest of the weapons out there turned into collectibles, they'd be far too valuable to use in crimes (according to a DU member who shall remain unnamed).

Kudos to the quick thinking guy who MAY have saved his life, the life of his girlfriend and the lives of others in the store.

THIS is why I carry.

[slackmaster]

7. Welcome to DU - Of course nobody really wants to stop ALL new gun and ammo sales

Because pretty much everyone who makes such a suggestion is perfectly OK with government employees being able to continue acquiring them.

[shadowrider]

10. Oh that's right

The "The police are here to protect us" crowd (It's not true by the way), therefore no one should have guns except them.

[jeepnstein]

11. Sickening.

The victims should have just let the robbers have whatever they wanted. As long as you give them your stuff they'll leave you alone. Instead they executed someone before he was found guilty. Just like in the wild west when cowboys were emboldened by guns, the "victim" took the law into his own hands. Things like this would never happen in Great Britain or Australia. The police would have arrived in plenty of time to do their job. Guns are scary and I'm afraid of them more than I am someone who views me as their personal walking ATM.

Did I miss anything?

[shadowrider]

13. That's absurd

The victims should have just let the robbers have whatever they wanted. As long as you give them your stuff they'll leave you alone.

Tell that to the clerk in a convenience store in Atlanta. Two guys walked in, went to the counter and blew the guys head off without saying a word. They then walked around the counter and robbed the place. A video was run of the incident up to the point that the man pulled the trigger. The clerks head basically disappeared, they didn't show that.

Or how about the video on the show "48 Hours" where two guys robbed a store and on their way out, just for shits and grins, fired at an employee who was in an aisle. They killed him, left his wife and if I remember correctly, 3 kids.

Nowadays, they don't want to leave witnesses. That means more than likely they'll shoot then steal from the victim.

Take what they want and they'll leave you alone. Thanks, I needed a good laugh.

[jeepnstein]

15. Robbery emboldened by TV...

Most crimes could be avoided with a bit of human interaction and a cup of herbal tea.

Or not...

[oneshooter]

3. One heck of a party store!

I wonder what they do for Halloween!

I also wonder if either one of thee victims will get a CCL?

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

4. This guy gets the high score! One BILLION points awarded!!11!1one!

[armueller2001]

5. THATS AWESOME

That guy is a total bad ass! Good for him.

That robber got OWNED

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

8. How dare he try and fight back he put countless people at risk?

:sarcasm:

[safeinOhio]

9. I've been in that store before.

Here is one thing to thing about. The other two that got away can now be charged with the murder of the third. If one is in on a crime and there is a shooting death, they are guilty of the crime.

[jeepnstein]

12. You have?

Well then, how "Safe in Ohio" does that make you feel? One never knows when stopping by for a bottle of Cold Duck and a Throwback Mountain Dew when you'll come face-to-face with this kind of thing.

In my Dad's store, I once sold a pack of cigarettes to a fellow who had just stomped a rival drug dealer's eyes out of their sockets. He was still coming down off the adrenaline rush. Oh, and then there was the time another fellow in the neighborhood took up robbing places to feed the cocaine addiction that devoured him. Ever have to deal with a customer who thought the KGB had abducted his supermodel girlfriend because he had uncovered their plot to attack us with nerve gas? My favorite was the night a couple of kids tried to rob an elderly USMC WWII vet who was having a major flashback. Working in a store like that is a never ending parade of weird and dangerous.

[GreenStormCloud]

16. I thought that you didn't go to stores where crimes happen.

What responsibility does the store in this case have? They seem not to have had adequate security present. Can the couple sue the store for emotional trauma?

[safeinOhio]

18. This is America and

you can sue anyone for anything. Winning is a different story.

Yes I try to stay away.
About 20 years ago I stopped at a party store on Michigan Ave, about 5 miles from this store, at night to pick up a soda for a drive home. A man in the store was being refused to buy a beer because he was drunk. I walked out of the store and got in my car. He came out of the store and reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small handgun and aimed it at my face thru the windshield. At that time I didn't carry as the law didn't allow it. I waved my hand at him and pointed out in the street. For some reason this distracted him and he staggered out into the street while I drove away. 20 some years later, I still remember that when ever I'm thinking of stopping at a store at night.

Because I now legally carry, I don't stop at a places that remind me of that just because I am armed. Life is a gamble, you play the odds. Other than that, I have had guns stuck in my face several times back in the 60s. One time I had to grab one and fight the guy for it. Every time that happened I was some place I shouldn't have been doing something I should not have been doing. If you look at murder statistics, I think you'll find that most gun violence is between people that know each other and family members. Every day there is a story about a murder that involves a love triangle. That is good enough reason for me to not chase married women or those in a relationship. Gun violence is really rare and most of it can be avoided by using common sense. Along with common sense, conflict resolution and anger management are other keys to staying safe in this world. My hope is for you and everyone else is to stay safe.

Thanks for asking.

[Dappleganger]

14. Excellent outcome...

for the couple. I just spent two days last weekend being trained in WWII H2H methods which involved simulations like this. I wonder if he'd had any training in self-defense?

[proteus_lives]

17. I'm glad he fought back.

One less piece of scum on the streets.