Police in Livermore said the confrontation exploded at East Bay Firearms at around 2:30 p.m. The 28-year-old alleged assailant from Redwood City entered the business “wearing a mask, gloves and a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head.”
Then, according to investigators, he attempted to hold up the store by grabbing a firearm while he threatened the occupants with a hammer.
The store owner, who was predictably armed, fired two rounds at the suspect. At least one of the shots found its mark, and the young man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police and paramedics performed emergency measures, but to no avail.
Five customers were inside the gun store Sunday afternoon, but none were injured.
The gun store owner is cooperating with the investigation and is not considered a suspect. Police said that the incident appears to be a case of self-defense.
The suspect has been identified but police are not releasing his name pending notification of next of kin.
The death of any young person, even in the commission of a violent crime, is regrettable. However, the gun store owner did what he was given no choice but to do in the face of an apparent armed robber.
The obvious question is what was the suspect thinking? A store full of guns run by people who almost certainly are proficient at using them is hardly a prime target for an attack with a hammer.
There were not many ways this misadventure would end well for the alleged robber, and unfortunately for him, he chose the wrong place to try to enrich himself.
