Suspect killed by employee during smoke shop robbery in Barstow
Unidentified man shot multiple times by store employee

A shooting at a smoke shop in Barstow this week left a robbery suspect dead after Barstow Police officials said he pointed a handgun at a store employee and demanded money and property.

The shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon at the So Cal Smoke Shop located at 1251 East Main Street. There, detectives learned through an investigation that the employee retrieved a handgun and shot the unidentified man as he was robbing the business, according to a Barstow Police statement.

The detectives interviewed multiple witnesses, reviewed surveillance video and processed the scene as part of the investigation, the statement said.

Officers were dispatched to So Cal Smoke Shop at about 2:37 p.m. Wednesday after receiving a report of a person shot during a robbery. At the scene, they found the alleged robber unresponsive, not breathing and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

The officers administered CPR and paramedics from the Barstow Fire Protection District continued life-saving efforts once they arrived. Despite their efforts, the man was later pronounced dead at the scene.

A deputy coroner from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Coroner Division and a deputy district attorney from the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office also responded to the scene and assisted Barstow Police with the ensuing investigation, the statement said.