Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Followup to jewelry store robbery

The robbery that I posted about Wednesday of last week has taken an unusual turn. The clerk during the robbery fired a shotgun at the vehicle as it fled with the suspected criminal...but there possible could have been uninvolved vehicles struck.

From the SPD.
On October 19, 2011 the Smyrna Police Department responded to an armed robbery at American Jewelry on Sam Ridley Parkway. During the course of the investigation, officers on scene discovered that a vehicle driven by an uninvolved individual received damage during the incident. Detectives from the Smyrna Police Department are conducting an investigation to determine if this vehicle may have been struck by fragmentation or shot pellets fired by the robbery victim. Once the investigation is complete, Smyrna Detectives will consult with the District Attorney's Office to determine if charges will be filed.
The DNJ has more details.
Charges could be filed against an American Jewelry store clerk who fired a shotgun at a fleeing robbery suspect here Oct. 19 if police determine shotgun pellets or bullet fragments struck a vehicle occupied by a mother and her young daughter.

A Smyrna Police incident report reads that Smyrna resident Kelly Renee Bearden and her daughter, who attends Rock Springs Elementary School, were in the area of American Jewelry the night the clerk — whose name has not been released by police — fired his shotgun at a robber who was fleeing the store.
......
“Once the investigation is complete, Smyrna Detectives will consult with the District Attorney's Office to determine if charges will be filed,” Gibson wrote in a Wednesday news release.
The use of a firearm has many legal ramifications to it and this is one of them. As a gun enthusiast I understand the danger of knowing your target AND what is behind it. Bullets do not care whom they strike, so in a high stress situation you need to be extra careful.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

What happened to not shooting at someone thats not an immediate threat to you. I just heard that no charges will be filed aginst the the person that used the shotgun. The suspect left, and this idiot fires randomly towards a group of vehicles. As a gun rights advocate and LEO, he should be charged in Rutherford County Court. They will never get my business. I hope and pray for the mother and daughter that had to deal with this. What an idiot.

Gunner said...

I agree. It is individuals like this that make gun owners look bad. An innocent life is not worth hurting in a persons desire to get the bad guy.