OMAHA, NE — When two men tried to rob a tobacco shop in Omaha, Nebraska, an armed employee fired on them.
One got away. One, an 18-year-old kid, lost his life to his bad decision. What’s more, those close to the deceased don’t seem to understand why he would do such a thing.
As KETV reports:
Police said an employee at the tobacco shop told them he shot at two Hispanic males who were trying to rob the store. Police have not said whether any weapons were recovered.
One suspect got away. The other, 18-year-old Jose “Mario” Velazquez, died at the hospital… Loved ones said the former Omaha South and Bryan High student worked in masonry and had everything he needed, so they can’t imagine why he would end up in this deadly situation.
“It could have been money issues, he could have been threatened to do it, or just like the people he was hanging out with could have twisted his mind so badly that it just came to it, going to do it,” said (family friend) Ybanez.
Most of the time, there’s a reasonable accounting for why people do what they do — even if the line of reasoning isn’t sound — there’s still some thought put into what was going on.
This young man’s acquaintances might not know why he got into what happened, but the consequences are no less real — and that’s the lesson to take away from this story.
Know your friends. Love on your friends — I’m not talking mushiness or anything within the field — I’m talking about listening to your friends and family, supporting them, and being willing to call them out when they’ve fallen along a bad path.
Taking care of loved ones is part of being a responsible citizen. Say safe out there, folks.
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