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A 31-year-old man said he intended to fire only a “warning shot” when he accidentally killed a woman who’d been part of a group who robbed him Tuesday night on the South Side. “I’m trying to fire a warning shot — like stay the hell back,” the man said in an interview Wednesday. He did not want his name printed. Police say the man’s story appears to check out. The dead woman was identified as Barbara McComb, 21, of the 4200 block of South Calumet Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. She was pronounced dead early Wednesday...

For the first time, liquor store owner Cliff Cormier has said publicly he was the one who shot two would-be robbers in his store on Oct. 19. And Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor said Monday he is drafting a "clearance letter" to send to the Topeka Police Department saying no charges would be filed in connection with the shootings. On Oct. 19, Rickie Loyd, 21, was shot and killed by someone inside Cormier Liquor, 2611 S.E. California, during a robbery attempt. Until Monday nobody associated with the incident — not Clff or Janice Cormier, not law enforcement — would...

A medical marijuana dispensary at 3005 W. Gill Place was robbed at 10:06 a.m. today by two armed men - one of more than two dozen such robberies or burglaries in the past five months, according to Denver police.The suspects entered the dispensary and held the owner and an employee at gunpoint, said Officer Joe Ramirez, spokesman for the Denver Police Department. Subsequently, the suspects and the employees got into a fight and multiple shots were fired, said Ramirez. Denver police said that since July, there have been a total of 25 medical-marijuana related robberies or burglaries. Thirteen of those...

An armed robber was fatally shot after he and two accomplices tried to ambushed their would-be victims. Police say that a Marrero, Louisiana couple was walking from their driveway to their house when a trio of armed robbers approached and brandished a gun. One of the would-be victims reportedly drew his own gun and shot one of the robbers. The robber's two accomplices are said to have fled, leaving the couple unharmed. The robber, whose name was not released pending notification of his relatives, died at a nearby hospital, according to police. As we’ve seen in the USA as well...

VALLEY STREAM (WPIX) - A Nassau County jewelry store owner was shot in the torso as he faced three would-be robbers and, amazingly, was able to detain one suspect until police arrived. At 7:11 p.m., three suspects -- a woman and two men -- attempted to rob Papandrew Jewelers, located at 11 Sunrise Highway at Franklin Avenue in Valley Stream. One man, Edward Hamilton, 24, of Brooklyn, produced a handgun and the store owner retrieved his own gun from behind a display case, according to police. The two exchanged gunfire when Hamilton jumped over the display case. The store owner...

* HOUSTON - A would-be robber is shot to death by a tire store owner in north Houston, and officers are searching for three suspects who got away. The shooting took place after 8 p.m. Wednesday at the 11100 block of Bauman Road. Police say four men tried to stage a robbery at the El Mante Tire Shop at the 11000 block of Bauman Road at approximately 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. The store owner, who has a license to carry a concealed handgun, drew his weapon and started shooting. One robbery suspect died in the shop, but three others escaped in...

An Orange County couple is recovering from a terrifying shoot-out with a robber. The couple was jumped at the gate of their Ocoee subdivision late Tuesday night, not far from the Gas Food and Go convenience store they own on Silver Star Road in Pine Hills. The husband was back at work Wednesday afternoon and he had two wounds on his forehead. His wife was in the hospital recovering after getting shot once in the shoulder. AT THE SCENE: Armed Robber Ambushes Ocoee Couple The couple was heading home after a night of work when they were ambushed. As Phai...

ALAMO — In a botched robbery Thursday night, a suspect shot a jewelry store employee who returned fire and shot the male robber, a sheriff's spokesman said. The shooting reportedly occurred at 7:15 p.m. during an attempted robbery at Alamo Jewelry Mart, 3189 Danville Blvd. The victim, a 53-year-old Hercules resident, who was shot in the upper torso, was rushed to John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek, investigators said, and was in fair condition. Once police arrived, the suspect, who also was shot, holed himself in the store, holding a handgun to his own head, said Contra Costa sheriff's...

An Atlanta, Georgia liquor store owner shot an armed robber who had just murdered an employee. Police say that an armed robber walked in to the Moreland Package Store, demanded money, and shot a clerk multiple times. Although mortally wounded from robber's shots, the clerk was reportedly able to yell for help, which prompted the store owner to grab his own gun and rush to the clerk's aid. The store owner is said to have shot the robber twice, in the arm and the leg. Police have reportedly taken a suspect into custody, and the store owner was unharmed. This...

ST. PETERSBURG — Now that surveillance cameras are watching virtually every store and parking lot, it's increasingly common to see footage of robberies, fights and even shootings. But the disturbing video of a double murder in downtown St. Petersburg is something different. In graphic detail, with eight different cameras and relatively good sound, the video shows the entire August 2008 robbery of Central Food Mart, and the shootings of three men. Even in an era when video has become ubiquitous, prosecutors say this stands out as perhaps the clearest and most complete recording ever of a local murder — and...

EL CAJON — A gunman who attempted to rob a market in unincorporated El Cajon got cold feet and ran away empty-handed, authorities said today.snipThe clerk told the gunman most of the money was kept below the counter and began to reach in that direction, he said, adding that the would-be robber then ran away, possibly fearing the clerk was reaching for a weapon.

A would-be armed robber apparently had second thoughts when an employee pulled out his shotgun Monday night. It happened at the Salem & Sons Convenience Store on Sunset Avenue in Rocky Mount around 10:20 p.m. Police say employees were inside cleaning up, and saw a customer at the front door. They let the man inside, but at the same time another man came in as well and showed a black handgun in the direction of an employee. That employee immediately got his shotgun, racked the slide, and pointed it at the would-be robber. The robber then turned around and slowly...

A man who Bessemer police said was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon as he attempted to rob a business has been identifed by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office as Kevin Dudley, 41, of Pleasant Grove. Dudley, armed with a shotgun, attempted to rob The Bait Shop at 729 9th St. N. in Bessemer, said Capt. Mike Roper. The owner shot and killed him, Roper said.

Vietnam veteran robbed, killed on his way to deposit VFW money William Burtner had helped raise money for WWII vets' trip to Washington Army veteran William Burtner survived Vietnam and dedicated his life to helping other veterans. On Monday, Burtner was about to enter a bank in Midlothian to deposit money that the south suburb's Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2580 had raised during a benefit. He never made it inside. Burtner, 65, was assaulted and robbed outside the bank. He died Wednesday night in Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. An autopsy Thursday concluded Burtner died of hypertensive...

EAST ST. LOUIS — A store clerk in East St. Louis killed robber Larando King, but it was holdup accomplice Michael T. Hunter Jr., who was charged Friday with first-degree murder, officials said. CRIME STATS bullet Get the breaking news from our St. Louis Crime Beat blog bullet See stats around St. Louis and the nation in our searchable database. A person committing a felony can be charged with murder under Illinois law for the death of anyone during the crime. St. Clair County State's Attorney Robert Haida, whose office filed the charge, said in a prepared statement: "I commend...

Two people attempted to rob the BFM Market in East St. Louis at 4 am yesterday. An alert employee shot at the robbers, who retreated. One of the wounded robbers was dropped off at the hospital, where he expired of his injuries. The other robber is still at large. Free Republic is banned from posting the original sources.

Two men attempted to Rob Gifford's gas station in Reader Sunday night, but all they got away with were some ventilation holes in their getaway vehicle. At approximately 11:20 p.m. a man went to the residence next door to the station and asked owner Tom Gifford if he could use his phone because his car had broken down. Gifford got the phone and when he turned around, the man was holding an knife and a second man wearing a ski mask was in his house holding a pistol. The unmasked man asked for money and drugs; Gifford complied. "They didn't...

Police say the man came into the D and A game room on Westheimer at noon Monday, pulled a gun and demanded money from the manager. As the man was leaving, the manager pulled out a gun and shot him. He later died at a hospital. No one else was hurt. Police tell us the manager will not face any charges.

On Nov. 1, the government of the state of California began withholding from workers' paychecks 10 percent more than what it had been withholding. The Los Angeles Times described this move -- prompted by California's fiscal calamity -- as "a forced, interest-free loan" from taxpayers to the government. The Times explained to its California readers that "You'll be repaid any extra withholding in April. Those who would receive a refund anyway will receive a larger one, and those who owe taxes will owe less." The ostensible purpose of withholding is to better ensure that taxpayers actually pay the taxes they...

A barrage of gunfire erupted during a robbery attempt in the Center Point area Tuesday night, authorities said today. Two employees of the Phone Store at 2111 Center Point Road were closing up for the night about 8 p.m. when a man came from behind a trash bin and pointed a gun at the female employee as she was getting in her car, saying "Give up your money; you might as well give it up." When the male employee tried to take cover, the gunman opened fire. The male employee returned fire, firing eight shots at the robber who took...

An armed bank robbery turns deadly Friday afternoon. It happened Dairyland State Bank in Exeland in Sawyer County around 2:30 p.m. Officers arrested one man near Deer Lake in Sawyer County. A massive search was underway for another suspect that ran into the woods. He’s described as a white man around 6’5’’ and 200 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. The Rusk County sheriff says an officer shot and killed a third man after he stayed in the car and took of south into Rusk County. The chase ended near Bruce where the man was shot. WEAU 13 News...

GROVE CITY, Ohio — Police said that a robbery victim acted in self-defense when he shot a man who was trying to rob him late Monday morning. The incident occurred at about 11 a.m. behind a Wendy's restaurant, located on Broadway. Investigators told 10TV's Glenn McEntyre that a man was walking his dog when another man approached him with a gun and demanded his wallet. The victim complied and then pulled out his own gun, shooting the robber, police said. The accused robber, Keith Walker Jr., ran to a nearby neighborhood where he collapsed. Walker underwent surgery at Grant Medical...

A Long Island gas station clerk says he was just doing his job Wednesday night when the two masked men stormed in and demanded cash. He grabbed their shotgun and chased them away. Video at link.

Why anyone in their right mind would cash an insurance claim check and then go to a bar to flaunt said money is beyond me. But one Springfield, Massachusetts woman is probably wishing she had gone to the bank on the way to the bar: WWLP: Massachusetts police say they are searching for two men suspected of robbing a woman of $27,000 after she flashed the cash in a Springfield bar. Sgt. John Delaney said on Friday that the 22-year-old woman was robbed Monday night by two men wearing dark clothing and bandanas, one armed with what appeared to be...

"I believe the Lord sent us both together…" Angela Montez will be the first one to tell you she was "scared and crying," during a recent robbery, but police and others say she was very brave.

A parole absconder from St. Louis is believed to have shot another man in a Tuesday night robbery near downtown Jefferson City, then was shot by one of his victims who acted in self-defense. Patrick Evans, 37, who was released from prison two weeks ago, was found hiding in a small room in an upstairs apartment at 611 E. Capitol Ave. just after 7 a.m. Wednesday, more than 8 hours after the shooting incident downstairs at the same address, according to police reports. "Officers were ready to re-canvass the area as daylight broke when they found a new blood trail...

The search continues for an armed and dangerous man wanted by Rockford police after a pawn shop robbery. The man's accomplice remains in critical condition at a local hospital. "They had a couple down here, a couple in the alley and then they had it guarded off," said Laurie McLain. McLain describes the police presence in her neighborhood about three hours after a crime scene took over the nearby Broadway Joe's Pawn Shop. "It was just a shock. You could just tell there had been some type of violent crime there," McLain said. Rockford firefighters and police responded to Broadway...

GRIFFIN, Ga. (MyFOX ATLANTA) - A former bank manager said Thursday that a life or death decision got him fired. The manager said he pulled a gun on a bank robber and fired shots at him, forcing the robber to flee. Police credited the manager's actions to the arrest of the suspect William Hunt. Wesley Hallman said it was common knowledge that he carried a pistol. The former manger said he felt safer with the gun when he opened the bank. Hallman said when he saw a would-be robber holding a gun in an employee's face, he challenged the man...

...I didn't expect to be a crime victim on the streets of San Francisco. ... But it happened, on a beautiful evening this past weekend near Union Square. As crimes go, it could have been much worse. I was helping an elderly man when somebody sneaked up behind me and stole my garment bag. I lost a nice suit, a nice pair of shoes and overnight toiletries. Not the end of the world, but frustrating. The real crime was the vulnerability of it all....

Philadelphia Police arrested two teens in connections to a rash of robberies involving the popular classified Web site Craigslist. Theodore Graham and Anthony Owens, both 16, are facing numerous charges following three armed robberies. According to investigators, Graham and Owners allegedly lured three separate individuals to locations in Philadelphia under the premises that the victims would be purchasing items such as computers and television. Upon arrival, each victim was robbed at gunpoint and had cash as well as cell phones taken from them. Investigators said none of the victims were seriously injured. Both Graham and Owens were taken into custody...

VAIL VALLEY, Colorado — Matthew Volk said he was working at Edwards Liquors Thursday when the night took a strange turn. “Next thing I know, I see this guy come in and he's got a gun in my face,” he said. The man with the gun shouted at Volk to give him money from the register. That's when Volk noticed the gun looked fake. “I realized right away it was not a real gun because of the barrel shape,” the 42-year-old Army veteran said. “I was not as scared as if it had been a real gun.” Volk said he...

A homeowner fires shots at a suspect outside their home in West Chester. Police say a man kicked in the door to Edward Honerlaw's home in the 8200 block of West Chester Road, shortly before 2 pm today. After a brief scuffle, the intruder fled to his pickup truck. Honerlaw fired a shot at the suspect's vehicle. Police describe the suspect as a male, white, around 35 years-old, six-feet, 175 pounds, with a gray beard. He was wearing a white hooded sweat shirt. Police are looking for a tan Ford F-150 pickup truck with an extended cab, Ohio license DDK3796....

A man accused of trying to rob a local Taco Bell tried to make a run for the border but ended up in jail, according to the Chattanooga Police Department. In an email to the Channel 3 Eyewitness Newsroom, Dustin Bell was "caught in the act" because the Taco Bell he selected to rob was also the place a police officer selected for dinner. Bell is accused of walking into the Highway 58 restaurant, pointing a gun at the clerk and demanding money. He apparently did not see a uniformed Chattanooga police officer eating tacos in a nearby booth. As...

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) -- A teenager was shot Friday night in South Knoxville after a homeowner says the he pointed a shotgun at him. It happened at 837 Lester Road around 11:00 pm. Jonathan Stevens, 20, and his wife Kara, 29, told deputies they heard their pit bulls barking outside. So, Jonathan took a pistol and flashlight to investigate. The couple says they spotted a 15-year-old boy they knew pointing a shot gun at them. Stevens fired his pistol twice, hitting the boy in the torso. He reportedly then returned fire. The Stevens ran inside and called 911. When investigators...

INDIANOLA, Ill. - Police say an eastern Illinois man shot two people to death after they forced their way into his home and tried to rob him. Vermilion County Sheriff Pat Hartshorn says the two masked men held the homeowner on the floor at gunpoint Monday night and choked him while demanding money. The sheriff says the alleged robbers were 22 and 17 but didn't identify them or the homeowner.

McDonald, Pa. -- Police said three men who forced their way into a Washington County home were greeted by a homeowner with a shotgun. “It’s not a very nice thing to happen in McDonald, because McDonald is a very quiet town,” said neighbor, Don Feigley. Police said the homeowner, Joseph Tokarksi, who was one of several people in the house, came down the steps with the weapon in his hand. “I’m prepared to do what I have to do to protect my home and my family,” said Toarski. “I’m all for that. I think anybody should be allowed to defend...

DAYTON — Police said Montgomery County prosecutors have approved aggravated robbery charges against a man who attempted to rob an elderly man at the point of an AK-47 assault rifle, only to be shot and wounded by his would-be victim. Lt. Brian Johns said the suspect, Phillip D. Anderson, 24, is under armed guard at Miami Valley Hospital, where he is in stable condition. Police said Anderson blocked the elderly man’s vehicle with his own, then got out with the AK-47 and approached the man, who drew a handgun and shot Anderson twice. The incident occurred Saturday, Sept. 19, at...

A Fayette County woman is accused of robbing a man of $500 at an automated banking machine then stashing the cash in a body cavity to hide it from police. Shannon Jo Fisher, 25, of 278 Greenfield Road, Perryopolis, is charged by Uniontown police with robbery, theft and receiving stolen property. In a criminal complaint, Detective Donald M. Gmitter alleges Fisher grabbed $500 cash 3:40 p.m. Monday from a Charles Rodgers, address unavailable, immediately after Rodgers withdrew the money from a banking machine outside the PNC Bank branch at 2 E. Main St. Fisher then ran into the nearby Public...

Starkville Police Department detectives say they are tracking several leads in the early Saturday morning robbery attempt that saw the victim fire gunshots at the suspect who tried to hold him up. Around 5:30 a.m. Saturday, the owner of Starkville Ready Cash on Highway 12 West was arriving at the business to prepare to open for the day when a black male approached him, pointing a handgun at him. The owner, whose name SPD detectives would not release amid concerns for his safety, then pulled out a handgun of his own and fired multiple shots at the suspect, but none...

KENOSHA -- A jewelry store owner who was faced with a man trying to rob him at gunpoint reached for his own gun and shot the suspect Wednesday. The suspect is believed to be from Zion. Kenosha Police Department officials said that two men with partially concealed faces entered the Jewelry Exchange at 2400 52nd St. around 12:30 p.m. and confronted the 55-year-old owner. Police said one suspect pointed a handgun at the owner, but the owner drew his own handgun from under the desk where he was sitting and shot the suspect once in the chest. The two men...

A robbery gone wrong ended when the victim upped the ante on the would-be robber by pulling a sword. Police say that the suspect and the victim, who are believed to have been friends, went to a check cashing store near the victim's house on Thursday. The two men in their thirties, according to police, returned to the victim's home, where the suspect hit the victim in the shoulder with a bat in an attempt to rob him. Little did he know he was dealing with an apparent ninja who keeps swords just laying around the house. After being hit...

Here’s the score from an Independence shoplifting case that involved a bag of meat, a wild ride atop a car’s hood and a gunshot wound: • The alleged shoplifter, Loucinda M. Carroll, 41, of Independence, has been charged with second-degree robbery. • The store’s manager, who was struck by Carroll’s car, landed on its hood and held on during an attempted getaway, was unharmed. • And the bystander who shot Carroll will not be charged because he felt he and the manager were being threatened, authorities say. Carroll suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The incident began at 6:49 p.m. Saturday at the...

JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Jackson police have identified the armed burglar who was shot and killed while trying to break into a closed business Sunday. The man who died in the shooting was 33-year-old Lorenzo Rodriguez Jones of Jackson. The shooting happened at the Gipson Discount Foods, in the 14 hundred block of Highway 80, near Terry Road Sunday evening. When officers arrived, they found Jones with a gunshot wound to the chest, at the rear of the grocery store. Assistant Police Chief Lee Vance says he was breaking in when an employee who lives in the building, opened fire...

HOUSTON—Life can change in a second. It can also end. Cell phone store owner, Javid Iqbal saw both on Wednesday afternoon, in just 17 seconds. “It is a part of my life that I will have to remember all of the time,” Iqbal recalls. It was amazingly fast. Security video released to 11 News showed Iqbal behind the elevated counter, when the would-be robbers rush the store. Two men with bandanas covering their faces, the leader gun in hand, vaulted over the case. But in the five seconds that it took, Iqbal was already around the corner in the back,...

MILWAUKEE -- Two masked, gloved gunmen walked into a Milwaukee food mart Tuesday morning and announced a robbery when one or two customers opened fire, police said. It happened at a10:45 at the Maen Food Mart at 12th Street and Chambers. One would-be robber, 26, was killed in the store, police said. The second would-be robber, was shot several times and ran away. He was caught after he collapsed in a gangway down the street. He died Tuesday afternoon at an area hospital. Milwaukee police said both suspects have lengthy criminal records for drugs, weapons and armed robbery offenses.

enlarge photo Kenneth J. Whitaker more photos Kenneth J. Whitaker Close Two men died Tuesday after they were shot while trying to rob a convenience store on Milwaukee's north side, police said. Both men were armed and wearing masks and gloves when they entered the store at N. 12th and W. Chambers streets about 10:45 a.m., Milwaukee police Capt. Edith Hudson said. The men announced the robbery but were then shot by a customer or customers, who ran from the store, Hudson said. No arrests have been made in connection with the case, she said. A man identified by family...

A 19-year-old Milwaukee man has been charged in the death of his 17-year-old partner in an armed robbery. Police say his partner was fatally shot by one of the pair's intended victims last week. Damien A. Cole faces charges of felony murder, as well as being party to the crimes of armed robbery and attempted armed robbery. If convicted of felony murder, he faces up to 55 years in prison. According to the criminal complaint, a 23-year-old man had met his girlfriend at a bus stop to walk her home after she finished her job early Thursday at a Water...

A clerk at a Ben White Boulevard convenience store has been charged with murder after police say he shot and killed a man who was stealing a 12-pack of Budweiser early Sunday morning. Jorge Luis Vielma, 22, and another man were on a "beer run," according to police, and attempted to flee after taking the beer. Police say Juan Romero, 23, a clerk at the Shell gasoline station at Ben White and South First Street, fired about a dozen shots at Vielma outside the store as he ran for a friend's waiting Mitsubishi Eclipse. Vielma later died inside the car;...

It was pouring rain just after 1 p.m. Monday, July 20, when a man burst into a Honduran grocery store on NW 36th Street in Miami. A shirt was wrapped around his face as he gripped a black semiautomatic handgun. Twenty-year-old Charles Bell shoved the pistol into the face of a manager behind the counter. Then he demanded the contents of the cash register and cartons of cigarettes in a plastic bag. Next he began herding customers to the back of the small market. But when he returned to the counter to collect his loot, a short, well-built 24-year-old manager...

An Horry County husband and wife fought off would-be robber inside their business. According to a press release, a man tried to rob Ron’s Busy Corner, 5709 Juniper Bay Rd, Conway, Thursday afternoon when he placed a knife to the back of the store’s owner. Police said Roger Lee Green, 34, of Galivants Ferry came into the store and pointed a knife to the back of the store owner while he was sitting at a table. The owner stood up, struggled with Green, along with a customer, and took the knife away. The owner’s wife was then able to get...