One thug made a grave error when he attempted to rob a Texas gun store while armed with a knife on Tuesday.
It will come as no surprise to most but the attempted robber was shot dead.
The unidentified criminal went into Carter’s Country guns and ammunition store in southwest Houston around 3 p.m., according to police.
He was armed with what police described as a “bladed object.”
Authorities said the knife-wielding thug made a B-line for the cash register and started helping himself to money.
A store employee confronted the would-be robber and shot at him twice, the Houston Police Department (HPD) said.
“Once he went there [the gun shop], he actually went behind the counter [and] started ruffling through the cash register,” HPD Lt. Larry Crowson said, according to Click2Houston.com.
“He was confronted by one of the employees, at that point, one of the employees felt in fear of their safety and fired two shots, at least one struck.”
South Gessner officers are at a shooting scene 11800 S. Wilcrest. Adult male transported in critical condition.202 pic.twitter.com/P5eplifeo8
— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) June 21, 2022
The employee who shot the suspect told police they feared for their life.
Police did not further describe the deadly confrontation.
The suspect fled, leaving a trail of blood before collapsing in the parking lot outside.
When police arrived, they found him and took him to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Neither the dead man nor the store employee who shot him was identified.
Police said the incident was captured on surveillance video but did not release it amid the investigation.
Witnesses told police the suspect had tried to shoplift from a clothing store next door before going into the gun store.
“Basically, they told him to just let go of the jeans or we’ll call the police,” Marcus Fomby, who saw the suspect inside Suit Mart before the shooting, told Click2Houston.
Carter’s Country Outdoor Stores is a family-run chain of four retail stores and a shooting range established in the 1960s in Houston.
The company also offers commercial guided hunting trips in Texas and Colorado, according to its website.
In 2016, Carter’s Country was the scene of a brazen, early dawn heist.
During the robbery, crooks stole more than 50 weapons.
Surveillance footage showed the thieves backing a black Ford F-250 pickup truck up to the store and attaching chains to the door and the rear of the truck to rip the door off its hinges.
They then ransacked the store, smashing display cases and stealing rifles and handguns.
Police busted the ring within days.
