An employee of 7-Eleven has been charged with murder after confronting two men about shoplifting beer from his store and then opening fire on them, killing one:
FOX NEWS – A Texas 7-Eleven clerk was arrested and charged with murder after he opened fire on two men who had reportedly shoplifted in the store.
The shooting unfolded Wednesday evening in Dallas, when investigators say two men entered the 7-Eleven and stole four cases of beer.
The clerk, 23-year-old Delon Johnson, followed the men to the parking lot and demanded they give the beer back, police said. He then opened fire on the vehicle, fatally striking one of the men, according to authorities.
Johnson called 911 about the shooting, and officers arrived on scene at about 11 p.m.
The injured man was found in his pickup truck about a mile from the store, and died in a local hospital. The other man fled the scene and has not been located.
An investigation into the shooting is currently underway.
“We are saddened by the incident that occurred on Wednesday night. We are working with local law enforcement to provide any information helpful to their investigation,” 7-Eleven told Fox News of the shooting.
When I first saw the headline, I thought this must be another story of absurd prosecution of a store employee defending themselves.
But the details above don’t pan out for a self-defense encounter. In fact the thieves aren’t mentioned as having weapons of any sort. That doesn’t mean they didn’t, but it’d be a crucial detail to leave out if they did.
No, it sounds like a frustrated employee followed them out into the parking lot for stealing multiple cases of beer and fired at them for refusing to return the beer, when his life wasn’t in any danger. If that’s what really happened, then that explains the murder charge. You can’t just shoot at someone for stealing something at a business if they haven’t pulled a gun, a knife or something that threatens bodily harm or death. Not even in Texas.