Posted on 09/29/2010 4:58:01 AM PDT by marktwain
A pizza deliveryman who shot two would-be robbers to death in east Charlotte said Tuesday that he didn’t draw his concealed pistol until the last possible second, when he thought he would be killed.
Throughout the robbery attempt, as the men hit and pistol-whipped him inside a cooler at an east Charlotte Pizza Hut, the driver said he kept his right elbow pinned tightly against his body – holding a Glock 22 under his shirt and out of view.
He said he didn’t want to use the gun unless he was forced to. But as one of the men lifted his shirt, nearly exposing the gun, the deliveryman opened fire.
The two men killed – Gregory James Hardy and Dauntrae Wallace – were both 21-year-old convicted felons, one on probation and one awaiting trial on unrelated charges.
Police were searching Tuesday night for a third suspect who fled the attempted robbery and was possibly wounded.
No charges have been filed against the deliveryman.
He asked that his name not be used out of fear for his and his family’s safety. Officials confirmed that the 57-year-old had worked as a jail detention officer and a sheriff’s deputy for about six years, leaving in 2004.
The robbery was reported about 11:15 p.m. Monday at the restaurant at East Independence Boulevard and Idlewild Road.
Just after closing, the deliveryman said the store manager asked if he wanted a soda from the McDonald’s across the street. The deliveryman said no, and continued cleaning while the manager left.
A moment later, three men walked in, at least two pointing guns. The first one told the deliveryman: “I mean business.”
They told him to open the safe. The deliveryman said he didn’t have access.
“‘Get down!’” one ordered. When the deliveryman didn’t, he says the man pistol-whipped him. The men then ordered him into a bathroom while they waited for the manager.
One of the robbers waited in the bathroom with the deliveryman. He ordered him to wrap his arms around the toilet, kneeling, and then demanded money.
“Every time I hesitated, he hit me. I have so many bumps,” the driver said. He turned over his $42 in tips for the night and a gold chain with a Jesus medallion he’s worn for almost 40 years.
The whole time, the driver tried to keep his gun pressed against his body, under his baggy shirt. The driver has a concealed carry permit, and started carrying the gun after being robbed twice in the past two years.
When the manager returned moments later, the suspects grabbed him. One told the deliveryman to crawl to the cooler in the back.
“I said I can’t crawl,” said the deliveryman, realizing that if he bent over any further his gun would stick out. “As soon as I stood up, he hit me. I took a big step and ended up in the cooler.”
Then, the suspect demanded car keys and hit the deliveryman again, opening a nearly two-inch gash next to his left eye.
When the suspect started to lift the deliveryman’s shirt, he realized the robber was about to see his gun.
“I thought, ‘He’s gonna kill us,’” the deliveryman said. “They’re gonna get what they want, and still kill me.
“I pulled my gun. I shot him three times, and he fell.”
The second suspect started to rush into the cooler, and the deliveryman shot him too. The third suspect ran away.
When police and paramedics arrived, they found two suspects on the floor, both dead, with guns nearby. One investigator said it’s possible the third suspect was wounded by the employee.
“We found some other evidence in the area of the business and are looking into that,” CMPD Sgt. Gerard Farley said. Police did not have a detailed description of the man.
Both of the men killed have criminal pasts, court records show. Wallace was convicted of breaking and entering and larceny in 2006. He was fined and given three years probation. In May, he was convicted of carrying a concealed gun and given another year of probation.
Court records show Hardy was convicted of car theft in 2006 and given three years probation. He was sent to prison for six months in 2007 when he violated his probation by trespassing.
Last year, he was arrested and charged with possessing and conspiring to sell marijuana, and was scheduled to be tried in November.
Their families couldn’t be reached Tuesday night.
The Pizza Hut attempted robbery was the second closing time fast-food hold-up in less than 24 hours. Early Monday, the Wendy’s on Charlottetowne Avenue near uptown was robbed by three men as it closed. A customer was pistol-whipped. Three men were arrested a short while later and charged with armed robbery.
Pizza Hut employees have been fired for using guns in self-defense. Chris Fuller, a spokesman for Pizza Hut’s national corporate office, said that “in the interest of our employees’ safety, we don’t discuss our safety policies publicly.”
However, there have been several reports in recent years in which Pizza Hut officials said corporate policy forbids employees from having weapons while on the job.
A Pizza Hut employee in Columbia resigned last year after police said he shot and killed a robbery suspect. The employee resigned, according to Pizza Hut’s Fuller, because of the company’s policy forbidding employees from carrying firearms.
In one well-publicized May 2004 case, a Pizza Hut employee in Carmel, Ind., was fired after he shot and killed a would-be robber. And in 2008, a Pizza Hut worker in Des Moines, Iowa, lost his job after shooting and wounding a robbery suspect. Both of those Pizza Hut employees were delivery drivers.
Though the deliveryman said he knew he’d be risking his job by drawing his gun, he was tired of being robbed. He does landscaping during the delay and delivers pizzas at night.
“It’s hard-earned money, and they think they can just take it?” he said Tuesday.
After killing the would-be robbers, the deliveryman went to Carolinas Medical Center for stitches and talked with investigators. Tuesday morning, he came home, talked briefly with reporters, and went to sleep until Tuesday evening.
Asked how he was feeling Tuesday night, he shook his head: “I don’t know. I don’t know.” Observer researcher Maria David and staff writer Cleve R. Wootson, Jr. contributed.
I'm not sure why they ever got away from prison farms. I grew up in NE Georgia and there was a prison farm not far from my boyhood home. This farm operated for decades with a positive cash flow. The inmates grew all the food for the prisoners and sold excess produce to citizens. They also made and sold uniforms for rental services, among other things. Instead of the prison being a drain on gubmint coffers it was a profitable venture. Violent crime was lower then because potential criminals knew that they might wind up on the business end of a hoe 12 hours a day.
Outstanding!
He may have had a friend working at the other store. Maybe at the end of the evening, he gets tired of the smell of pizza. I don’t have a problem with it.
unless the machines were broken, that does stink...
“Violent crime was lower then because potential criminals knew that they might wind up on the business end of a hoe 12 hours a day.”
I think that may the the problem now. The word “hoe” has a completely different connotation with the “younger” generation. Doing “12 hours” with one now looks like party time.
Hard labor certainly makes a lot more sense than letting them sit around watching oprah or hbo
Pizza Hut would much prefer the deliverymen and clerks to die. Pizza Hut doesn’t want to alienate a portion of its customer base by allowing them to be killed or wounded. You can always replace employees. It is harder to replace customers.
Witnesses heard gunshots from the inside of the store, followed almost immediately by a shouted, “You bitches want pepperoni with that?”
You are 100% correct.
I'm not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but no person, company or government entity can force you to disarm then throw you to the wolves.
If we still operated under the Laws of logic and reason, more people would come to that conclusion, too.
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Kudos to this guy for standing up to protect what was his.
Since he delayed in protecting himself because of the fear of repercussions from his employer, I wish there were a way for him to sue that employer for every bump he got and drop of blood he lost.
If anyone deserves something for 'mental anguish', it's this man.
“manager went across the street”
Pizza hut has pepsi products, Mcdonalds has Coke. I’d cross the street too.
Solid piece of work. Took his beating and bid his time, then acted explosively.
A murdered clerk’s family can go after those deep pockets, too, and will.
The only person a criminal is worried about is themselves.
Himself.
I think we may find out if/when that third robber is captured.
Good reason to never go to Pizza Hut.
Its interesting that they have a well publicized policy that practically begs thugs to rob, maim and kill employees and customers.
Yes he did us all a favor, but I wonder how long it will be before we hear from their mothers and aunts that “they were good boys,” and that they were “turning their lives around.”
I thought that was weird too.
Maybe he went for a coffee, and did not want to make a pot only for himself. Does not have to be a soda. He only ask the delevier guy if he wanted a soda.
Our local PH only sells bottles, not individual drinks.
It's not just that.
The fundamental problem is teen, single mothers. They're a central cause of wickedness in society that get little blame for how destructive their selfish behavior truly is.
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