Posted on 04/14/2005 1:05:56 PM PDT by holymoly
Clerk Not Likely To Be Charged, Officials Say
FORT LAUDERDALE -- A liquor store became a crime scene Tuesday night after a clerk shot a teen who police said tried to steal a woman's purse.
According to police, Barbara Winters, 70, was opening her car door outside a Fort Lauderdale liquor store when Steven Wendal, 15, snatched her purse and took off.
The Story In Pictures: Alleged Victim: 'He Deserves To Be Shot At'
That's when the store clerk, Kingsly Brown, shot Wendal, police said. "I really was in shock. I commended him for using that kind of resolve to protect a customer," Winters said.
"He deserves to be shot at. He is a kid. He is a stupid kid. Kids do stupid things. He deserves to be shot at."
Wounded, Wendal raced a mile and a half through neighborhoods, knocking on doors for help. His trail of blood stopped on Kathleen Rouse's porch.
"I didn't know what to think. I was shocked and he wanted me to take him to the hospital and I said, 'No, I will call 911.' And he said, 'It's going to take too long for them to get here,'" Rouse said. The 911 call led police to arrest Wendal.
Although Wendal was not armed when Brown shot him, police said the clerk might not be charged. "We don't have a final say on that but we don't anticipate charges," Veda Coleman-Wright, of the Broward Sheriff's Office, said.
Winters said she is fine, until she tells her son what happens. "My son is going to kill me. What the guy didn't do last night, my son is going to do big time today," Winters said.
Winters said she will not go to liquor stores at 8 p.m. any more. But, she said she is not stressed out and is just a little tired from her ordeal, which lasted until 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Wendal, who was shot in the shoulder, recovered enough from his wound to appear in juvenile court Wednesday, where he was taken into custody on strong-arm robbery charges.
Ping
Good news from Florida.
Nice shot, Granny.
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Ahem ...
" ... That's when the store clerk, Kingsly Brown, shot Wendal, police said ... "
I love good stories Mojo, add me?
I'd pay extra for a purse if I could detonate it using a remote control device. That would show them little purse snatchin' rats a thing or two!
"Finally!
Good news from Florida."
Pathetic but true.
Yeah - even making allowances for the situation, she doesn't sound like the cuddliest granny on the block...
I don't consider myself a liberal jerk. But I think shooting a kid over a purse, is pushing it.
I certainly wouldn't want to send a kid who's most likely unprepared to meet his Maker, knowing that will condemn him to Hell for all time, over the contents of a purse.
All kinds of questions are raised. Did the store have a security camera. Could the kid not have been tracked down and arrested without shooting him? Was there sufficient warning to stop before potentially lethal force was applied. etc.
There is a right way and a wrong way to use force to bring criminals to justice. This might not have been the right way.
We're on the same page.
Or that he was just beginning to get his life turned around
My wife has a cousin who amongst his many other youthful indescretions, enjoyed taking his Mama's old trashed purses and stuffing them with a King snake, then leaving it someplace to be 'lifted'.
He and some friends left one on the curb outside a bar at about 1 AM once. They watched from half a block away as a big old caddie slowed way down and pulled over to the curb. A door cracked open, a hand came out and snatched the purse into the car.
That caddie went about another half block when all four doors flew open and people came flying out.
The caddie continued on down the blvd for a few more blocks driverless, unless you count the snake.
A teenage thug mugging an elderly woman for her purse can very easily cause her to fall and sustain a broken hip or head injury that will end her independent life, and lead to her premature death. I'd much rather the kid get shot. The more of these kids that get shot doing this stuff, the fewer of their frineds will decide it's a good thing to try.
You never know what people may have in their purses. I'm all for shooting any purse snatcher!
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