Clerk kills fleeing robber
Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2008 5:00 pm
Linkarooni
This says a LOT: He was paroled from a residential burglary conviction less than a month ago, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.Clerk kills fleeing robber
Was the shooting death of a 20-year-old suspect outside a Waukegan grocery store self-defense or vigilantism?
By Emily S. Achenbaum and Courtney Flynn | Chicago Tribune reporters
October 15, 2008
A suburban grocery store clerk fired three shots at an armed robbery suspect fleeing on a bicycle, killing the man and raising difficult questions about the line between self-defense and vigilantism.
Authorities in Waukegan on Tuesday had not decided whether to pursue charges, but others had already made up their minds.
"Any time you point a gun at me and if I've got a gun and I've got the opportunity, I'm going to use it on you," Waukegan Mayor Richard Hyde said. "With society the way it is now and with the number of armed robberies you have, you've got to fight back."
Experts said the difference between self-defense and a crime likely will come down to whether the suspect was posing a threat when the clerk decided to fire.
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