ROBBER SHOT BY STORE OWNER
A North Knoxville convenience store owner says he was just protecting himself and his employee this morning when he sot a would-be robber.
It happened around 6:00am at the Marathon Rite Stop Market on Dutch Valley Road. Police say that 31-year-old Christopher Pulley walked into the store, asked a clerk for cigarettes, and then demanded money using a stick in his pocket to imitate a gun.
The store owner, 51-year-old Sam Braswell Jr., heard the altercation and came out from his office with a .25-caliber handgun. Braswell chased Pulley out of the store firing several shots in the process.
Pulley was hit in the back and buttocks. His injuries are not life threatening and he is now charged with attempted robbery.
Because the man was shot outside the store as he was fleeing, the District Attorney's Office is now investigating and will decide if charges against the shooter are necessary.
The Store Owner told Action Ten News that he regrets what happened, but other small business owners are applauding his actions.
At Vol Market #3 on Western Avenue, the food is fast, the service is friendly, and the clerks are frank.
Owner Alan Frye, "I never want to pull this thing out I never want to have to use it but I'm not going to hesitate to pull it out if I feel like I'm threatened or someone in this store is threatened."
He is talking about the guns that he and some of his co-workers carry on their hips, something that they've done since 1996.
Frye says that he understands why the clerk involved in this morning's attempted robbery pulled the trigger.) "We cash a lot of payroll checks here so people know there's a lot of money in and out of here sometimes I think it has served as a deterrent...I've heard people say if you guys didn't have those things your store would have been hit."
For store owners like Frye, using a gun against a robber is a simple matter of self defense, but from a law enforcement view it's not so clear cut.
Darrell DeBusk Knoxville Police Department, "There is a gray line if you will once the person is outside of the home or fleeing the business or the residence."
While police want store clerks to do everything that they can to protect themselves, they don't necessarily recommend they be armed.
"If they have the right security measures and cameras and things of that nature in place then it helps law enforcement find these suspects and they don't have to resort to using a weapon."
Alan Frye says his weapon is the only security measure that he needs. "I call it my American express card, I don't leave home without it."
2/24/2004 5:48:47 PM
Reporter: Syan Rhodes
Story Feedback
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A North Knoxville convenience store owner says he was just protecting himself and his employee this morning when he sot a would-be robber.
It happened around 6:00am at the Marathon Rite Stop Market on Dutch Valley Road. Police say that 31-year-old Christopher Pulley walked into the store, asked a clerk for cigarettes, and then demanded money using a stick in his pocket to imitate a gun.
The store owner, 51-year-old Sam Braswell Jr., heard the altercation and came out from his office with a .25-caliber handgun. Braswell chased Pulley out of the store firing several shots in the process.
Pulley was hit in the back and buttocks. His injuries are not life threatening and he is now charged with attempted robbery.
Because the man was shot outside the store as he was fleeing, the District Attorney's Office is now investigating and will decide if charges against the shooter are necessary.
The Store Owner told Action Ten News that he regrets what happened, but other small business owners are applauding his actions.
At Vol Market #3 on Western Avenue, the food is fast, the service is friendly, and the clerks are frank.
Owner Alan Frye, "I never want to pull this thing out I never want to have to use it but I'm not going to hesitate to pull it out if I feel like I'm threatened or someone in this store is threatened."
He is talking about the guns that he and some of his co-workers carry on their hips, something that they've done since 1996.
Frye says that he understands why the clerk involved in this morning's attempted robbery pulled the trigger.) "We cash a lot of payroll checks here so people know there's a lot of money in and out of here sometimes I think it has served as a deterrent...I've heard people say if you guys didn't have those things your store would have been hit."
For store owners like Frye, using a gun against a robber is a simple matter of self defense, but from a law enforcement view it's not so clear cut.
Darrell DeBusk Knoxville Police Department, "There is a gray line if you will once the person is outside of the home or fleeing the business or the residence."
While police want store clerks to do everything that they can to protect themselves, they don't necessarily recommend they be armed.
"If they have the right security measures and cameras and things of that nature in place then it helps law enforcement find these suspects and they don't have to resort to using a weapon."
Alan Frye says his weapon is the only security measure that he needs. "I call it my American express card, I don't leave home without it."
2/24/2004 5:48:47 PM
Reporter: Syan Rhodes
Story Feedback
Printer Friendly Version
