I am a business owner and grandfather Rancho Cordova, Californiasaid he shot a shoplifter in the early morning hours of Nov. 24 to try to save his grandson, who was sleeping in the back of the store at the time.
“My kids were with me, and he was going to attack me,” Robert, a 70-year-old business owner, told Fox News Digital. Robert chose not to share his last name for privacy reasons.
Sacramento Sheriff’s Office He confirmed the Nov. 25 shooting, saying he received a 911 call at 1:15 a.m. Nov. 24 from a business owner on Folsom Boulevard “reporting that someone had broken into their business.” went and he shot them.”
Officers from the Rancho Cordova Police Department and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to the scene, where they pronounced the suspect dead. Rescue assistance started. Authorities then transported the suspect to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Robert said he and his two grandchildren, ages 4 and 14, were sleeping in the back room when thief They allegedly entered through the window of the store in front of it.
Robert said the thief walked through his store, past racks of things like expensive leather jackets, and into the back room where Robert and his grandson were sleeping.
Robert’s 14-year-old grandson was awake at the time and heard a noise, at which point he “jumped up” to wake Robert and tell him that someone was in the store. Robert went to get his gun — one his father gave him in 1958 that’s registered in Robert’s name — and within seconds, the thief allegedly tried to kick in the door to the back room where Robert and his grandson lived. were
Robert said there was a loud “boom” from the door, and when the door opened, the suspect shone a flashlight in his direction.
“I was only awake for five minutes. I’m three feet from the door but five feet from it,” Robert recalled. “I thought I got shot.”
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Robert also said the burglar was wielding a butane torch and holding it to himself when he entered the back room. Robert initially thought the torch was a gun, and fired at the suspect.
“He charged at me. He didn’t run,” Robert said. “He intended to come into the building and kill me.”
After sustaining a gunshot wound, the thief walked out of Robert’s store and that’s when Robert called 911 and authorities arrived.
“It’s disgusting. I feel bad that the man is dead.”
Robert said he has been robbed at gunpoint three times. He said that thieves usually go for leather jackets, but Robert believes in this instance, the thief was going to kill him and try to take his money.
Detectives and crime scene investigators “responded to the scene, began their investigation, interviewed witnesses, and began collecting evidence,” the sheriff’s office said.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Nov. 24 shooting. (Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office)
“Based on their research, [d]Sharaf’s office said the subject learned that the subject walked past the front of the business and then attempted to gain access to the rear living area, which was occupied by the business owner and two minor grandchildren. Fell off the front and into a nearby parking lot.”
Authorities have not made any arrests in connection with the incident, and the investigation is ongoing, “pending an autopsy, forensics and other items,” the sheriff’s office said.
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Robert wept as he recalled the incident.
“You don’t have time to think,” he said. “If he was 25 feet away from me, I would have said, ‘I’ve got a gun.’
But in that moment, Robert recalled his only thought was that “the kids next to me are going to die” if he didn’t act.
In the days since the shooting, Robert said, he can’t sleep and fears retribution, but he’s just thankful his grandchildren are still alive.