Police say clerk’s husband stopped robbery with gunshots

Update: Dequan Lamar Rushing was arrested Wednesday and jailed in the Washington County Detention Center under $151,000 bond awaiting a Sessions Court appearance set for Thursday.

A Georgia man was arrested Tuesday on robbery, assault and kidnapping charges after being shot by a store clerk’s husband during a hold-up, according to Johnson City police.

The shooting, which police described as self-defense, happened at Scotchman, 1101 E. Unaka Ave., around 10:15 p.m.

Before the Scotchman incident, police responded to Tri City Wholesale Tobacco, 2518 S. Roan St., on a report of an attempted armed robbery. In that incident, police said a man demanded money from the clerk, but he left with nothing. Police said that at some point in the robbery the man fired a pistol inside the store. No one was injured in that incident.

Police had a description of the would-be robber and were looking for him.

Around 10:15, officers were dispatched to a report of a robbery at the Scotchman.

In that incident, the clerk complied with the man’s demands while being threatened with a firearm and controlled by the man, police said.

The clerk’s husband, who has a valid handgun carry permit, intervened and shot the man two times in self-defense after the man pointed the weapon at him. Witnesses gave the police a description of the man, which matched the alleged robber from the first attempt.

A police K9 located Rushing nearby with two gunshot wounds. He refused officers’ commands to surrender, so the K9 was sent in to apprehend him.

Rushing was taken into custody and transported to an area medical facility, where he remained in serious but stable condition on Wednesday.