Woman With Concealed-Carry License Shoots at Home Depot Shoplifters, May Not Face Charges
A woman with a gun and a concealed-carry license opened fire on a shoplifter Tuesday afternoon as security chased the man out of an Auburn Hills, Mich. Home Depot, the Detroit Free Press reports. No one appeared to be injured, and the shooter is cooperating with police.
According to police, the shoplifting suspect, a man in his 40s, ran out of the store with security giving chase. He jumped into a dark-colored SUV driven by a second male suspect. As the SUV began to pull away, the 48-year-old woman fired an undetermined number of rounds from her 9mm pistol. Police say the vehicle got away, but may have a flat tire.
The two shoplifters allegedly made off with more than $1,000 of power tools and welding equipment.
The incident took place in what the Free Press describes as “part of a retail district with hundreds of stores in the area.”
“There were a lot of people in the area where she was firing shots,” adds local news station WXYZ.
Police said Wednesday that they’re finalizing their report on the incident, then Oakland County prosecutors will determine whether the shooter should be charged with a crime.
Michigan is one of the states that still has a “fleeing-felon rule,” which state courts have held allows citizens to use deadly force to apprehend someone in the process of committing a felony.
Less than a month ago, an armed bank customer in Warren, Mich., shot a bank robber three times, hitting both arms and a leg. That shooter also hasn’t been charged, and the mayor of Warren has said he feels the shooting was justified.
“This citizen did have a 2nd Amendment right. He must have been a pretty good shot,” Mayor Jim Fouts said, according to the Free Press.