'No Choice' But to Shoot 4 Would-Be Robbers, Says Store Owner, 72
The 72-year-old owner of a New York City restaurant supply store who made headlines yesterday when he shot two alleged would-be robbers to death and wounded two more, says he is “sick to my stomach” over the incident but had “no choice” but to pull the trigger.
After one member of the group pointed a gun at a secretary and a male employee was beaten as a young man demanded cash, Charles “Gus” Augusto tells the New York Daily News, he tried to talk the would-be robbers into leaving. When he didn’t succeed, he reached for the 12-gauge shotgun he kept under the counter and started firing.
The beaten employee, store clerk Toxie “J.B.” Hall, 35, credits his boss with saving his life. He has worked for Augusto since he was 19, he tells the newspaper. The store reopened today for business as usual.
Police are investigating whether the gun was properly licensed, and Augusto admits the license may have expired, the Daily News reports.
“It was sitting there for 20 years—I didn’t know if it was gonna’ work,” Augusto says.
The men he shot, who were between 21 and 29 years old, are not identified in the article.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “After Worker is Whipped With Glock, Store Owner, 72, Shoots 4, Police Say”
