Drizzt
Member
Robber shot to death by storekeeper
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
By MICHAEL RATCLIFFE
Staff Writer
TRENTON -- A young man who police say was armed with a gun and was trying to rob a corner store was shot to death last night after the storekeeper pulled his own gun from behind the counter.
The deadly confrontation inside the La Nueva Grocery in the 500 block of North Clinton Avenue occurred about 10 p.m.
At midnight, detectives were still trying to unravel exactly what happened but Sgt. Pedro Medina, a police spokesman, said preliminary investigation indicates three young men entered the shop, allegedly intending to rob it.
One of the young men was armed with a handgun, Medina said.
But the holdup did not go as planned, Medina said, because the storekeeper pulled out a gun he kept behind the counter and fatally shot the robber armed with the gun.
The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene. Medina said the suspect's weapon was recovered at the scene.
The two other alleged robbers fled and were being sought by police last night.
Medina said the police department's gang unit is helping with the investigation, but late last night he said it was too soon to tell if any of the would-be robbers were affiliated with any gangs.
Also on scene assisting with the probe was Detective Matt Norton of the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.
Police officers immediately cordoned off the shop with yellow crime scene tape while a large crowd gathered on the sidewalk across the street.
Officers escorted several people -- one of whom may have been the storekeeper -- in police cars to the nearby police station for questioning.
Many onlookers quickly became frustrated when police said it was too early for them to be able to identify the dead robber. Sobbing could be heard coming from several members of the crowd.
One man, visibly upset, repeatedly pounded his fists into the rollup door of a warehouse, crying out, "It better not be my son! It better not be my son!"
The mournful atmosphere of the crowd was suddenly shattered by fits of laughter when a motorist, who police said may have been intoxicated, crashed his car into the rear of an unmarked police car parked in front of the crime scene.
The motorist, who was not injured, was immediately arrested.
http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/base/news-1/114232759886950.xml&coll=5
Tuesday, March 14, 2006
By MICHAEL RATCLIFFE
Staff Writer
TRENTON -- A young man who police say was armed with a gun and was trying to rob a corner store was shot to death last night after the storekeeper pulled his own gun from behind the counter.
The deadly confrontation inside the La Nueva Grocery in the 500 block of North Clinton Avenue occurred about 10 p.m.
At midnight, detectives were still trying to unravel exactly what happened but Sgt. Pedro Medina, a police spokesman, said preliminary investigation indicates three young men entered the shop, allegedly intending to rob it.
One of the young men was armed with a handgun, Medina said.
But the holdup did not go as planned, Medina said, because the storekeeper pulled out a gun he kept behind the counter and fatally shot the robber armed with the gun.
The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene. Medina said the suspect's weapon was recovered at the scene.
The two other alleged robbers fled and were being sought by police last night.
Medina said the police department's gang unit is helping with the investigation, but late last night he said it was too soon to tell if any of the would-be robbers were affiliated with any gangs.
Also on scene assisting with the probe was Detective Matt Norton of the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office.
Police officers immediately cordoned off the shop with yellow crime scene tape while a large crowd gathered on the sidewalk across the street.
Officers escorted several people -- one of whom may have been the storekeeper -- in police cars to the nearby police station for questioning.
Many onlookers quickly became frustrated when police said it was too early for them to be able to identify the dead robber. Sobbing could be heard coming from several members of the crowd.
One man, visibly upset, repeatedly pounded his fists into the rollup door of a warehouse, crying out, "It better not be my son! It better not be my son!"
The mournful atmosphere of the crowd was suddenly shattered by fits of laughter when a motorist, who police said may have been intoxicated, crashed his car into the rear of an unmarked police car parked in front of the crime scene.
The motorist, who was not injured, was immediately arrested.
http://www.nj.com/news/times/index.ssf?/base/news-1/114232759886950.xml&coll=5
