INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA — A gas station clerk fatally shot an armed robber shortly after the suspect pulled out a gun and demanded cash. The gas station has been the site of previous robberies and attempted robberies. As one Indianapolis police officer noted, some robberies resulting in the death of gas station clerks.
via WISH TV
“This is not the first time that we’ve had an armed robbery with shots fired. Unfortunately, we’ve had clerks killed during robberies and we’ve had clerks turn the gun on would be suspects and fire upon them. The safety of workers is a paramount concern for us [IMPD] and should be a paramount concern to business owners,” said Riddle.
The clerk in this incident is fine. He wasn’t shot. He is believed to have been the only other person in the store outside of the armed robber. The armed robber was identified as 20-year-old Levi Walker. His body was found dead in the parking lot after he was shot and attempted to flee the scene.
Investigators are reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses who arrived shortly after the shooting took place.
“We’re talking with the clerk now. He’s cooperating fully with this investigation. We will look at the video that is inside of the business to make sure everything the clerk said occurred is corroborated by video,” said Major Richard Riddle with IMPD.
Gas station clerks are in high-volume traffic areas. This means that they are often targeted for armed robberies and similar crimes. Because gas station convenience stores often operate in 24-hour cycles, they are at increased risk to armed robbery. That’s why it’s essential for clerks whom are able to arm up, do so.
For plenty of criminals, armed robbery of a gas station convenience store or liquor store marks their entry into a career of violent crime. Not all armed robbers have the same disposition or demeanor. Some are more prone to violence than others. Because of the unpredictable nature of armed criminals, a law-abiding gun owner cannot take chances when dealing with them.
Clerks are also placed in a very untenable position during an armed robbery. Chances are good that the armed robber’s gun is already trained on the clerk. This means the clerk has to beat the robber to the punch. Whether it be by distraction or diving to cover, the clerk has to find a creative way to give himself time to get his gun out and put rounds on target.
Outside of security professionals and police, the next segment of the population that should honestly train for high-tension gun fights would be a store clerk. They are the most likely to get stuck in an armed confrontation with one or more criminals.
That doesn’t mean the rest of us shouldn’t train for that environment, too. There have been plenty of instances where a concealed carrier enters into a gas station convenience store in the middle of an armed robbery attempt and is unwittingly stuck using his gun to defend himself.
It’s a scenario that could play out for any of us. That’s why we need to carry concealed every day, everywhere we go. We never know when this type of situation could happen or where we’ll be when it does.