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*Thank You To All Donors*
Posted on 10/19/2011 9:26:13 AM PDT by DCBryan1
EAST NAPLES — A clerk at a landmark East Naples corner store shot and killed a man Tuesday as he attempted to rob the family-run shop and flee with her 1-year-old daughter.
The man, whose name was not released, demanded money from Elizabeth Easterly, a clerk at Del’s 24 Hour Food Store, and then grabbed a stroller that held Easterly’s baby, said Del Ackerman, the store’s owner and Easterly’s grandfather.
Easterly, 22, was alone during a shift change, running the shop with her 1- and 2-year-old daughters there, Ackerman said.
“I almost lost my two babies,” Ackerman said of his great-granddaughters.
The children were unharmed. However, a bloodied stroller remained inside the front door for hours as investigators gathered evidence and interviewed witnesses at the scene.
Around 3 p.m. a man entered the store, 2802 Thomasson Dr., “acting erratically,” Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Jamie Mosbach said.
As the man made for the front door with the child, Easterly did just as she had been taught — she drew a gun and aimed for the would-be robber’s knee, Ackerman said.
Bleeding, the man was then tackled outside the front door by a store employee who was about to start his shift and was walking toward the store when the shooting happened. A pool of blood and a bloodied pair of men’s athletic shoes marked where the man was held down until deputies arrived at the scene.
The man was transported to NCH Downtown Naples Hospital. He died from his injuries.
Deputies diverted traffic at the intersection of Thomasson and Bayshore drives for two hours following the shooting. Easterly could be seen inside the store as a swarm of patrol cars and investigators blocked off the scene. Both her husband and Ackermen had left the store less than half an hour before the attempted robbery.
Across the street, Nik Merlos and Gloria Angeles huddled under a bus awning with their 14-month-old daughter as deputies took down crime scene tape. Angeles had made a quick trip to Del’s around 2 p.m.
“I knew there were creepy people around, but not that bad,” said Merlos, who has lived in the Bayshore area for seven years.
In September 2009, three masked men pistol whipped a clerk at Del’s, robbed her at gunpoint, and then stole her car. It was a blemish in nearly half a century of serving the community that didn’t stop Ackerman from opening the doors again.
“They’ve tried to clean (the neighborhood) up a lot,” said Shannon Marcum, who lives two blocks from Del’s and grew up in the neighborhood. “They’ve succeeded somewhat.”
Three hours after the shooting, Ackerman questioned whether he would bounce back. Though his granddaughter and great-grandchildren were unharmed, the threat frazzled him.
“Under these circumstances? I would consider (closing),” he said. “I’d rather have life than money.”
Known as a neighborhood stalwart, he has kept the shop open 24 hours a day for 47 years, through hurricanes and families tragedies.
But with a dozen employees working to keep the store open round the clock, too many people would be affected by shutting the doors, he decided.
“
As hard as we’ve worked in this town ... are we going to let one person of any kind knock my family and my babies out?” Ackerman said. “No way.”
The Sheriff’s Office is continuing its investigation. It is unclear if Easterly could face criminal charges in the shooting.
Something doesn’t jibe. He was pushing a child out the door in a stroller and mom shot him in the knee. The other side of his knee was her child in the stroller.
Years ago I was playing cards with an attorney, and he told us the best advice ever. He said “You have the right to remain silent, and for God’s sake USE IT! 90% of the problems my clients face are caused AFTER they get arrested because they can’t keep their mouths shut long enough for me to get there, and they end up saying stupid things that go on record.”
I have little sympathy for your common variety thug like he represents, but in the case of a shooting assume that they are going to try and prosecute you no matter HOW clear cut the case for self defense was. Give them your ID, tell them you want a lawyer before you answer ANY questions, and then just stand there mute until they get there and take over.
Such a wonderful outcome from a near tragedy!
I guess you gotta aim for the knee if you want to hit him in the groin.. Nice shot.
Taking her baby and she still went for the knee? Ok, if she thinks that story will help her defense...stick to it.
Caught an artery & bled out?
Boo Hoo.
My guess is she was taught to aim for the heart but say she was aiming for the knee.
I love a happy ending.
As for the perp?
BURN IN HELL ya subhuman piece of sh*t!
Oh wait, he already is.
UPDATE
“Man shot, killed by Del’s store clerk identified By VICTORIA MACCHI”
http://m.naplesnews.com/news/2011/oct/19/Elizabeth-easterly-del-ackerman-snatch-baby/
And the is: Hernandez, Daniel Ramont
http://www.marconews.com/photos/2009/dec/02/134434/?enlarge=1
Tourniquet on the neck would have maybe saved this guy ;)
Interestingly the mug shot listing, lists his race as “W”
He doesn’t look that “W” to me, and that lends credence to those that claim that crime states are even more lopsided than they appear to be.
Amazing battlefield monuments and setting at Shiloh. Anybody near SW TN should swing through if they can.
" Ramont....ya big dummie!"
Had “a toothache in his heel” as well.
That my FReeper friend is the best advice any CCW permit holder should have been given.
Just put the gun down, step away from the hopefully dead perp, keep your hands visible , tell them you were afraid for your life and then STFU. NOTHING at all, just that you want to talk to a lawyer. NOTHING ever...
Don't describe the scene, the scenario, who did what, what color the sky was, what you THINK he was doing, NOTHING. Just shut your pie hole and get your lawyer.
Saving your life may cost you some money, but it's better than going to court for some DA or LEO that wants to make a name for themselves.
Bump
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