Shooting in Illinois

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Score one for the good guy.

Mom's response is typical.He's trying to straighten out his life by robbing astore after just getting out of prison. :banghead:

"I don't excuse what he did," she said, even as she described him as a "sweet person" who was trying to straighten out his life following his Sept. 19 release from prison.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1224481,CST-NWS-shoot16.article

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http://www.suntimes.com/news/24-7/1224481,CST-NWS-shoot16.article

Dead robber's mom: Shooting not right WAUKEGAN | Thief killed as he tried to get away on bicycle
October 16, 2008
BY DAN ROZEK Staff Reporter Brandon Starks' mother tearfully condemned the shooting that took his life after he robbed a Waukegan grocery store, questioning why the store clerk who shot him outside the business didn't instead call police.
"If you had time to run out of the store, you had time to call the police," Veda Starks said Wednesday, standing outside the family's North Chicago home.
The 20-year-old Starks -- a convicted burglar paroled from prison less than a month ago -- was shot to death by a store clerk Monday night as he fled the People's Market after robbing the store with a chrome-plated pellet gun.
While questioning the clerk's actions, she didn't condone her son's behavior.
"I don't excuse what he did," she said, even as she described him as a "sweet person" who was trying to straighten out his life following his Sept. 19 release from prison.
Authorities on Wednesday released new details of the shooting, including disclosing that the clerk fired seven shots at Starks as he tried to escape after the holdup on a bicycle.
Starks -- struck by two bullets -- appeared to be facing away from the clerk when he was hit by the fatal shot, Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller said.
That could be a crucial factor in determining if the store clerk -- whom police haven't identified -- may face criminal charges, legal experts said as authorities continued investigating the holdup and shooting.
It could take Lake County prosecutors several weeks to review the evidence and determine whether charges should be filed, Assistant State's Attorney Stephen Scheller said.
"You don't have the right to use lethal force once the threat has passed," said Leonard Cavise, a law professor at DePaul University.
But the store's owner, who didn't want to identified, said: "It was self-defense. We got robbed at gunpoint."
Much of the shooting was captured by several security cameras, police said. Police are still looking for a second man they believe aided Starks, but didn't enter the store.

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Yeah, straighten out his life. I have typically found that most people trying to straighten out their lives are regularly engaging in armed robbery. It seems to be character building. :quirky

While morally I have no issue with the clerk, I would be sweating bullets if I were him as I wouldn't be surprised to see charges filed.

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Where is the outrage of the parole board letting him out when he obviously
wasn't rehabilitated.

The clerk should be given the keys to the city. Call the cops, yeah that would
work, the cops and courts already had him, and failed again, and still haven't cought the partner.
Maybe mom should have reported the parole violation when he armed himself.

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I dunno. Hard to tell until the film is analyzed. Where the deceased got shot is important too. Could be a bad shoot. Certainly the clerk should have let the guy go without going after him...



Waukegan Police Comdr. Wayne Walles said the clerk of People's Market grocery store, who did not have a Firearm Owners Identification Card, used the store owner's gun, a .40 caliber pistol, to shoot seven times at Starks from the doorway of the store as Starks got onto a bicycle to make his escape.

Starks was hit twice in the upper body and once in the lower body. He was able to ride about 20 yards from the store before collapsing in a curbside parking space in the 800 block of 8th Street. Police recovered the gun he used to rob the store -- a chrome-colored pellet/BB gun. "It appears to be a real firearm," said Walles, but it was a look-a-like.

The store owner did have an FOID card for the gun. In Illinois, the owner is registered to legally possess a gun. The gun itself is not registered.

Walles said there is video recording of the incident and that was how they discovered there is a second suspect involved in the incident. He was never inside the store, but began to run away as Starks exited and was struck by a vehicle and then got up and ran away. Police are not releasing the video at this time.

http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/news/1224377,5_1_WA16_SHOOTING_S1.article

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The clerk will be tried and convicted. I love this country!

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Does anyone know if charges were filed against the employee of the store? I haven't been able to find anything on the internet.

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I have heard nothing since the initial reports. I believe Lake County will put the question before a Grand Jury which may be a month or more before we hear anything.