Auburn gas station clerk shaken up after fatally shooting alleged armed robbery suspect
AUBURN, Wash. — An attempted armed robbery suspect was shot dead late Monday night by a store clerk in Auburn, and people in the neighborhood say they have seen a surge in crime in the downtown area where the fatal shooting happened.
The clerk who pulled the trigger told KOMO News Tuesday that he is still processing the shooting, that it happened quickly and he’s thinking of the 19-year-old man who was killed along with his family.
Police were in the early stages of their investigation while workers at the convenience store were also trying to pick up the pieces.
Police were called shortly before 12:30 a.m. to the Shell station located at 201 Auburn Way S. for a report of a shooting and robbery attempt, a department spokesperson said.
When police arrived they found the body of man who had been shot at least one, according to police. The man, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was not immediately clear if the suspect brandished a weapon before he was shot.
Crews on Tuesday replaced the convenience store’s front door and the register plexiglass that was struck by bullets overnight.
Investigators worked Tuesday to piece together what happened during the incident.
“We don’t know if this person who was shot and killed acted alone or had help,” police spokesperson Kolby Crossley said.
The store and police declined to provide the surveillance video from the incident, and officers say it’s too soon to know if the clerk is facing charges.
“We’ll gather all this information and then we’ll ship it off to the prosecutor’s office,” Crossley said. “And then that’s a decision they will look into themselves.”
Police investigators swarmed the site after the fatal shooting at the gas station
A construction worker for a project next door said the store is in a dangerous area because of criminal activity next to the nearby grocery store.
“There’s drug use rampant over by Safeway,” Kevin Olsen said. “They steal converters (and) there’s fights out there daily. It’s terrible.”
He’s not surprised the clerk took matters into his own hands and says he and his co-workers feel like they’re left to fend for themselves.
“I think it’s a good thing he defended himself. I mean, the cops can’t do anything,” Olsen said. People “smoke their crack right by (police) and ride their bicycles right by. Eventually the citizens have to do something about it.”
Officers say they’re working to prevent these crimes with their designated patrol areas, including a community response team focused on downtown.
“People are willing to do crazy thigs and it doesn’t really matter where it is or why they’re doing it,” Crossley said. “That’s why we’re here.”
This shooting was part of a violent weekend for the city.
Police responded to a drive-by shooting a couple days ago and another homicide last night, raising Auburn’s homicide toll to nine for the year, with eight involving firearms.
Metro Man Shoots Home Intruder, Says He Feared For His Safety
A metro man confronts and shoots an intruder after police say he forced his way into the southwest Oklahoma City home.
According to the resident, who did not want to be identified, he hesitated to pull the trigger.
He said after Derial Goode Jr. managed to force his locked front door open, he was stirred awake.
The resident thought the noise was caused by his niece walking through the house but was wrong.
“He was sitting at my kitchen table, just sitting there, not saying a word,” said the resident.
The homeowner says Goode barely spoke.
“He started walking around mumbling and went into my living room, knocked some pictures down, so I went into my bedroom and grabbed my gun,” said the man.
He said he called out to his niece as the intruder stumbled around.
“Whenever she came out and said I have no idea who this is, that was a gamechanger right there,” said the man.
Only then did the homeowner point his gun as the intruder ran into a religious shrine.
It was erected in honor of the homeowner’s sister who was murdered four years ago.
“He might have children, brothers and sisters. I’ve felt that. I know what it’s like to lose a family member to gun violence, so I did not want that for his family member or for him,” said the man.
But instead of leaving the man says Goode approached him.
“At that moment I feared for my life and niece’s life, and that’s when I shot him,” said the man,
He said for the first time Goode spoke clearly.
“When I shot him and he fell down he said that hurt,” said the man.
The man called 911.
“We do know that the suspect did not live there, was not supposed to be there,” said Sgt. Dillon Quirk, Oklahoma City Police Department.
“I thank God he’s alive, but it also makes me worry, what if he wants to come back and shoot me or something?” said the man.
Goode was arrested on complaints of breaking and entering and public intoxication.