Who needs a gun in an Ice-Cream shop?
The fact that the robber has a BB gun is also irrelevant. There is
no easy way to be sure that a gun is a BB gun in the heat of a
life-and-death situation.
Friday, Sep 07, 2007
By JIM NOLAN
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
A man who robbed a South Richmond Baskin-Robbins ice-cream store with
a fake gun Thursday night was shot to death by the store’s
gun-wielding manager.
The fatal shooting occurred just after 9 p.m. at the store, in the
6900 block of Forest Hill Avenue.
Richmond police said the suspect entered the store brandishing a BB
gun that looked like a semiautomatic weapon and demanded money.
After a clerk handed over cash, police said, the store manager
grabbed a semiautomatic handgun from behind the counter and fired
multiple times at the thief, striking him at least once as he fled.
A police K-9 unit followed a trail roughly 100 yards through a wooded
area behind the store to the 2900 block of Cherokee Road. Officers
found the bleeding man lying on the ground in front of what is
believed to be his residence, with cash police think was taken from
the store.
The man was transported to VCU Medical Center, where he died a short
time later.
Police identified the dead man as Jerome Davis, 43, of 2916 Cherokee
Road. Investigators said the suspect had been released from prison
roughly nine months ago after doing time for robbery.
Police spokeswoman Cynthia Price said investigators will consult with
the Richmond commonwealth’s attorney’s office to determine whether
charges are warranted in connection with the shooting.
Thursday night’s robbery was not the first time that blood has been
spilled at that Baskin-Robbins 31 Flavors Ice Cream parlor.
Back in 1991, store owner John Roberson was shot in the elbow in the
parking lot of the eatery during an attempted robbery.
Roberson has owned the store for more than 35 years and is known in
the neighborhood for the humorous messages that appear on the
signboard outside his business. Contact Jim Nolan at (804) 649-6061
or [email protected]
The Second Amendment IS Homeland Security !
