Clerk shoots, kills masked man during Worcester holdup

Guess that guys robbery days are over! Maybe his friend will learn his lesson too. Too many people try to take he easy way out instead working hard for a living. Justice has been served and I commend the clerk for a job well done.

Yeah for the clerk!! Time to strike back.

So I guess we're promoting vigilantism now eh? What a load! What are the police for again? :-P

Kudos to the clerk. We gotta keep these criminals off the streets.

Good to see people are fighting back! Hopefully this serves as a warning to any other criminals that people aren't going to take it anymore!

Stories like this give me a perverted sense of self satisfaction. I love hearing stories when thieves get what's coming to them.

If only we could all possess the bravery and determination to defend ourselves, and possess the means to do so.

Well Done!! One for the patriots.
Saves the tax payers a bunch of money and gets scum off the street.
Guns don't kill people. Well trained, armed citizen kill criminals.

A terrifying time for the clerks, I would not want to be in that position. I have no sympathy for the robber, he got what he deserved.

Good job.

Perfect!!!!!!!!!!! The only problem is the clerk wasn't able to do the same to the other robber.

I wonder how many more criminals will think robbing that store would be a good idea?

good riddance! i couldn't care less about the loss for the "would be robbers" family, either.

Awesome! Time honest, hardworking people stand up for your rights and protect themselves. I'm glad the store clerk acted quickly and killed this piece of garbage.

Nice shooting!

Yeah! Store clerk! One for the good guys.

yeah baby I love instant justice.

One less dirtbag off the streets, its a shame all robberies can't end like this. The clerk should get a medal.

This is superb. No costly, drawn-out trial. Congratulations to the liquor store employee. And good shooting.

That particular would-be robber will never hold up another liquor store.

I love a happy ending.

Live by the gun, die by the gun. Guess this guy won't do that again, now will he?

good job! one less sob on the street

DI$CO, Vigilantism is when someone goes looking to take things into their own hands. This person protected himself and his co-worker, trouble found him, not the other way around. The police probably wouldn't have showed up until one or both of the clerks were harmed.

Stop being such and enabler, maybe someday someone will break into where you live and you can passively accept whatever happens to you, and you will deserve it.

Great job!!! One more scumbag bites the dust.

No, no. He wanted a shot of tequlia!

I'm sure we'll hear that he was turning his life around!

So I guess we're promoting vigilantism now eh?

Are you KIDDING me? The clerk had a gun pointed in his face, what the hell is he supposed to do? Cross his fingers and pray for a miracle and hope a bullet doesn't wind up in his skull? You sir, are a moron. The man who committed this armed robbery would just as soon shoot you in the face and take your wallet, you very well could have been next for all you know. Idiot. This man got exactly what wss coming to him, good riddance. GOOD JOB TO THE CLERK!!

Good for the clerk. More guns for the law abiding citizens will protect us all from criminals. Shoot the bastards and save the taxpayers the cost of a trial and jailing them.

For the liberals out there ... Perhaps liquor stores and convenience stores and other high targets should have to install a "Mousetrap" ... Wonder how much a double door system such as in high end Jewelry stores would cost?

In Response to post # 3.

There is a difference between vigilantism and protecting yourslef. A vigilante is someone who acts in response to a perception of insufficient response by the authorities. This clerk was responding to an immediate threat to his life and property. Good for him.

I would like to think I would have the same ability to think on my feet as he did good for him.

At last a heartwarming story for the holidays!

30 years ago there may have been some debate because the gunman may have been using his weapon just to force the clerk to give him money and leaving everyone unharmed.
Unfortunately in 2008, we live with sub-cultures that believe stealing and then "popping a cap" in defenseless people is considered cool. And as we've seen, this happens way too often. A clerk in Auburn, MA was robbed recently and when the perps got their money, they tried to kill him. Fortunately as the video showed, the perps gun jammed. Although the clerk did the right thing, his holiday and beyond will be agonizing I'm sure.

I hope the clerk keeps his gun loaded, cause he will need to use it again in the future but not against an armed robber. He will have to use it against the blood sucking, ambulance chasing lawyer who will convince the family of the dead robber to sue the clerk for wrongful death based upon some stupid trumpet up reason. I would love to be on the jury when the clerk is tried for manslaughter for doing away with the robbers lawyer....NOT QUILTY YOUR HONOR....

Not that I am able to say uppity sayings like "good riddance!" and "Hooray for the clerk!", because frankly I don't think that the loss of a life is somethign to celebrate when the departed is dead for making a poor and fateful decision. However, the clerk, who apparently is a compliant gun owner and law abiding citizen, did what he had to do to assure his own safety, and to know that we can defend ourselves without fear of some jerk from the ACLU suing us for trying to live is a very nice thing. I doubt the clerk feels great about what he did (and had to do), but he certainly doesn't have to apologize for anything.

Di$co how is this "vigilantism"??? I would say it's defending life and liberty.....

How much do you want to bet that Martha C comes out again and says something brilliant like she wished the clerk hadn't defended themselves. Good job clerk.

I think it's safe to say nobody will miss Evan Louis Rivera.

How long until the family of the dead robber attempts to sue the clerk for 'emotional distress' and monetary damages?? I really wish I were kidding here....welcome to Obama-nation....

Gird yourselves for the wacko lefties who want to throw the clerk in jail for protecting himself. Personally, I think the clerk deserves a medal for saving the public the time and expense of providing the dirtbag criminal a lawyer and 3 squares a day and health care, etc.

yeah - this is real justice. one more criminal off the streets and thousands upon thousands of dollars were not used to make it happen. I feel for his family but people do this type of thing because they feel they can get away with it.

"So I guess we're promoting vigilantism now eh? What a load! What are the police for again? :-P"

Cleanup. They weren't at the scene because they can't be everywhere at once. They usually show up after the crime has been committed to deal with the aftermath. Would you have preferred if the robber shot the two clerks?

Di$co: The police are there to investigate crimes and put people who break the law behind bars. They are not there to prevent illegally armed criminals from shooting you in cold blood during a robbery. The store clerk was legally licensed and likely saved his life as well as his co-worker. Would this story be better for you if the title read: "Police investigate double homicide at liquor store shooting...armed assailant still at large"?

I have no compassion for a badguy who is injured or killed while committing a violent crime

Great Job! Another law-abiding gun owner protecting their life and property...

Awesome. Maybe this will slow down these idiots who think they can rob anyone.

Vigilantism would be if the clerk went looking for robbers to shoot. What happened here is one man chose to act like an animal and violate the rights or another by threatening his personal safety. He forfeited his right to fair treatment when he threatened the life of another person. I am not pro-gun. I am not pro-killing. I am pro-sanity.

Is about time we started fighting back, I am proud of this Liquor Store Clerk, great job !!!!! bye bye Evan, have fun in hell where you belong

A heartwarming story. Surprised that the Globe didn't put some spin on it making the tobber out to be the victim.

Maybe we should all start carrying guns. Time to get rid of the thugs because the cops arent doing it.

Don't taze me, Bro!!!

I'm glad the clerk legally owned the gun too, that would have been bad news had he not, he defended himself but I can guarentee that the clerk could probably still not feel any crappier for taking a life, I know I would. I give it two weeks before the clerk has a lawsuit against him.

Hey DI$CO, obviously you have never been the victim of an armed robbery. 15 years ago I spent 5 minutes on my belly with a 9mm handgun pressed against the back of my head, safety off. The only thing I was thinking about was whether I would see my wife and kid again. If someone had killed the robber I would have been the first one dancing on his grave. He stole more than money. He stole my dignity and I have flashbacks to the trauma he caused me frequently. If I was armed and presented with the same situation I would blow an armed robber away without thinking twice.

As for the police the only thing they would be doing is putting yellow tape and drawing chalkline around the body of the dead clerk.

i'm glad the clerk defended himself but it's just another sign of the desperation people are facing.

I agree with an earlier poster that I can't bring myself to celebrate a guy being shot dead even if he was trying to rob a store, but the clerk was well within his rights to defend himself with lethal force when he was threatened with lethal force. I only hope that this doesn't convince all store clerks to start gunfights with robbers when confronted with an armed robber - at the end of the day, your chances of coming out alive yourself are probably greater when you DON'T pull your own weapon - and really, if all the guy is going to get is a couple of hundred bucks from the cash register, it's not worth the clerk risking his life further by pulling a piece. JMO

After he was arrested earlier this year, they should have treated this guy like a pinata instead of letting him roam the streets to commit more crimes..."Evan Louis Rivera, 39, of 128 Lincoln St., Worcester, charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, amended from trafficking in cocaine, placed on probation for two years, ordered to remain drug- and alcohol-free, to undergo drug and alcohol evaluations with treatment and counseling as recommended by the Probation Department, and to submit to random drug tests, $90 victim witness fee.'

If handguns were illegal, then no one would have been shot.

I went to Big Bob's liquors in college - BIg Bob is the man. I'm glad he put this guy in his place.

Posted by DI$CO
So I guess we're promoting vigilantism now eh? What a load! What are the police for again? :-P
Posted by DI$CO

DI$CO, get a clue. Vigilantism is hunting down criminals after the fact (which is what the police are for) and then taking the law into you own hands. This is NOT what the clerk did. What the clerk did is self-defense, a totally different thing, a point which too many people fail (or wish not) to understand. If someone is an immediate threat to your life, you have every right to defend yourself with whatever force is necessary, up to and including lethal force. This is a basic right of all living things and has been enshrined in the law from the beginning. It is NOT the job of the police to protect you as an individual. All courts in this country agree on that point. The job of the police is only to protect society as a collective whole (in other words, to catch criminals AFTER they kill you, so that they can't do it to someone else). Since there isn't a cop to watch each one of us every minute of every day, it's physically impossible for them to protect us, and the law recognizes that fact. A group of cops could stand across the street eating donuts and watch you be raped, robbed, or murdered, and you (or your family) couldn't sue them, the department, or the city for their failure to help you, because legally THAT'S NOT THEIR JOB! It's yours. The clerk understood this reality and took responsibility for his own life. Too bad so many of his fellow citizens don't, instead of believing they can outsource that job.

“I bet this guy was just some poor, discriminated person that was forced into this. What right does this store clerk have to defend himself and his fellow employees! Let’s march to town hall and demand that all guns….no all weapons be handed over immediately! Then we won’t have to worry about losing another irreplaceable person, whose life is financed by society! How dare ordinary tax paying, law biding citizens try and protect what they have worked for! It’s a moral outrage! If these persons did anything wrong, then they should have been brought before a tax payer funded judge, with a volunteer citizens jury. They should be represented by a tax payer funded lawyer and (heaven forbid) they are found guilty (by that obviously bias and prejudice jury) they could start to reform their lives by being feed and housed in a tax payer funded correctional facility! This is just another example of what happens when you have armed citizens! I bet that poor misunderstood man that fled the seen of this massacre, will need some tax payer funded psychiatric help. After all, it’s terrifying to face someone who might kill you!”

Quote from hypothetical (but typical) liberal, left Massachusetts voter.

If you can't do the time..err take the bullit... don't do the crime!

Nice to see everyone is happy someone got killed. Someone's son, father maybe, uncle, nephew. Someone who maybe could have gotten help and been productive to society.

No one should blame the clerk, but he will live with that for the rest of his life. That sucks. He killed someone. Any of you want to trade places with him?

What are the cops for? Writing speeding tickets and protecting Dunkin' from possible terrorist acts.

Thank goodness the clerk was armed and able to defend himself. For liquor stores that don't have armed clerks--maybe they need to sell donuts so they'll always have a cop around.

Props to the store owner for not banning self defense like many chain stores (Cumberland Farms, etc.) have done.

a man was killed here folks. my prayers are with him and his family.

This country was founded on the right to bear arms. It's time we start encouraging and educating and enabling citizens to exercise their Constitutional right to carry a gun. I firmly believe that a higher number of responsible, licensed hand gun owner discourages many would be robbers, thieves, rapists, and others that commit violent crimes. In the face of these difficult times, we must start looking out for and defending each other and our property against those who seek to harm and steal. Yes, we have the police, but it's also up to people to care and use common sense.

Another sign of the 'desperation people are facing'? Sorry, but attempting to rob store clerks at gunpoint has never gone out of style, regardless of the state the economy is in.

Vigilantism? You're a load. You probably say Happy Holiday instead of Merry Christmas. If you're committing a crime like this you should be shot. Take a hike.

The police exist to ensure Dunkin Donuts sales are healthy and strong at all times.

OSHA should put a warning out for would be Armed Robbers that should read " Warning using a gin for armed robbery can result in Lead Poisen from bullets fired at you"

I truly am surprised the clerk wasn't charged with anything. Not that I believe he committed a crime but because of the anti-gun culture that is Massachusetts jurisprudence.

I know there are "bad" or "lazy" cops out there and that is why there are so many negative comments on these blogs....

BUT how many of the people that complain about them are ALSO the first to vote against improving their equipment or putting more of them on the streets?

In this instance, YES they would be on "cleanup duty" - because the departmens don't have the money to have cops on the neighborhood beats like in the old days

I am astonished and relieved the support for the clerks on this thread. Wonderful. Bravo! I expected in Massachusetts, the bluest of states to hear just the opposite.

Remind me again, why do we re-elect pols who consistently vote down the death penalty?

"i'm glad the clerk defended himself but it's just another sign of the desperation people are facing."

or stupidity

I'd hate to rain on everyone's parade here, but there will be consequences to the clerk's actions. It's an extremely difficult situation, and I don't blame the clerk whatsoever for defending himself. I also think this kind of action from the clerk will deter small time petty criminals from engaging in armed hold ups in the future. My fear however is that the more desperate and deranged members of society will carry out their robberies by shooting the clerk first, and robbing after. This could impact anyone who's working a late shift. Is there a solution? No idea......

Di$co, just keep in mind that when seconds count, the police are just minutes away. As others have pointed out, it's they are a reactive force and won't do you much good if the robber has his gun pointed at you.

An eye for an eye - good for him!! Excuse me DI$CO if you or your family were faced with a gun in your face are you going to wait for the cops to show? Seriously do NOT be ridiculous here or be dead, you have a choice! I have cops in my family so I am not a hater here - it's just that the criminals don't call the cops to let them know they're going to rob someone and the victims can't just pick up the phone when they have a gun in their face!!!
One less criminal off the streets. Do unto others as they do to you!!!

I am sure everyone who is "happy the scum bag is dead" are the same people who never served and/or have never taken a life in the line of duty.

Yea, I am glad for the clerk that he defended himself and lived, but sad at the same time that he had to take a life. You are never the same after.

DI$CO: the police are for taking the report and roping off the scene after a hard working person is murdered.....you stupid idiot.
I would hate be your family if someone broke into your house would you use whatever means neccessary to protect yourself or call and then wait for the police??? Pansy Ass

Most of your posts are pretty sick. In fact most of you disgust me and remind me why our "society" is constantly at war. Capital punishment itself is immoral and highly objectionable by normal human standards, but its use is limited to only the most severe and violent crimes. This was an armed robbery. The clerk -who many of you consider a hero - took a man's life in order to protect the profits of whoever owns the store he works in. If he had given over the money, it's safe to presume that no one would have been killed, and perhaps insurance would cover whatever whatever meager funds were in the register. Instead, a desperate man is dead, his killer will be forced to live with the memory of his act, and nothing has been solved. There will still be violent crimes caused by the poverty which our racist system promotes. No, Mr. Rivera was not justified in threatening someone's life with a gun, but ask yourself if someone's life is worth less than the cash in a cash register. Is yours?

Good job but you know what comes next...

Sympathy stories will soon be in the newspapers about Evan Louis Rivera and the overreaction by the evil liquor store. Front page photos of the crying relatives and words from their lawyer with a pending lawsuit against the store, clerk, city and state until the family has enough $$$ to live in the Hamptons.

Then in the very last paragraph of the story... it will say that he was a masked armed gunman who died during a robbery. But since few get to the end of the story... another distortion will be created. Just watch the news... my prediction will come true. Always does.

Sorry for my cynicysm, but having read media for 30 years... they always turn good people into the "bad guy" and evil people into victims.

I am glad to see an ordinary citizen protect themselves, but how many times do you need to shoot someone to realize that they are down? Desperate times call for desperate measures. (Ie., reminds me of the movie, Fun w/Dick and Jane). Regardless, it is sad to see a life lost lost despite the incident.

For the people who are saying "a man was killed" get a clue. If you or your family were the victim of any of his past crimes you would be singing a different tune.

This guy got what life dealt him. The clerk should be proud he defended himself IN this country with so many rights. He did not let a scumbag take those rights away from him or the other clerk!

Semper Fi

This clerk did NOT kill anyone....the armed robber killed himself. The armed robber made that decision not the clerk !! If that was me I WOULD FEEL NO REMORSE FROM PROTECTING MYSELF FROM THE PIECE OF TRASH....I don't care if he is a father, husband significant other, etc!!! He killed himself.

One less loser with an antisocial personality disorder roaming the streets! Thank God we have the RIGHT to bear ARMS!! Merry Christmas!

Disco:

The Police were not there at the time to protect the clerk. The police are typically not in places where crime is happening. They come in after the fact and investigate it.

If you want to protect yourself, the cops are not everywhere all of the time.
If somebody pulls a gun and points it at somebody else, it can be assumed that the person with the gun is trying to kill that person. It's reasonable to shoot the person to defend oneself.

I'm sure the clerk doesn't like bein ga killer, but he did what he needed to do to protect hismself and the store.

The only thing is- this will make the bad guys more trigger-happy. The next unarmed clerk will seem like more of a threat after this. Thus, the next robber will be much faster to pull the trigger, lest he wind up like the one in this story.

You pull a gun out and point it at somebody- you deserve what you get. BUT, what about the next time?

If I was a liquor store clerk, this would make me feel LESS safe, not more.

We should commend the clerk, one for standing up for our given rights and two, for saving all of us hardworking tax paying individuals the extra burden and cost to prosecute and costs to jail the pathetically incompetent masked crook.

Its sad when anyone is drivin to rob someone....BUT, the doctors get people addicted to opiads and then "throw them off the pain meds" because they (doctor) thinks its time. They neither help or care about the addiction - the programs in Mass are a joke and the only way you can get help is to buy it with money. I feel bad for everyone in this case - the clerk who had to defend himself and the perp that was drivin to this extreme.

I'm sure he was only trying to help his family by using the profits of his ill timed robbery to buy them Christmas presents so they could all have a wonderful holiday. What a nice guy!

Can I just say, I consider myself a Massachusetts Liberal and I'm glad the store clerk shot him, he deserved it, it was self defense. I'm not for taking away guns, i'm against people feeling they need to have armor piercing bullets (what are those used for besides killing?)... so all of you right wing crazies can just stop with the scare tactics that you are so well known for... when did liberal become a bad thing?

Totally agree. This was a question of life or death. Point a gun at me and put my life in danger and I will shoot to kill.

Not happy someone died, but happy as can be the clerks defended their own lives.

There are only a couple reasons why the guy tried to rob the liquor store, he was down on his luck and needed to feed his family OR he just wanted to just do it for the quick cash. Either way it turned real ugly when he pulled out a gun. Yes, he was someone's son-brother-father-husband but he made one grave mistake when he threatened a life of another, even if he didn't really "mean" to hurt anyone. How many times have we seen robberies turn deadly even after they get the cash? I tell my wife that if she ever needed to pull the gun on someone, shoot them twice center mass in the chest and once in the face. You don't pull out a gun and not expect someone to die.

bringing back public hangings and shooting criminals in the act (or after the fact) is the only way to deter crime. showing leniency and talking of "rehabilitation" only makes criminals more aggressive. we should have at least one noose in every town. probably 50 in dorchester.

Interesting how the Globe goes to great pains to say "alleged" robber. Masked man with gun = robber.

Live by the gun, die by the gun. I feel bad because a life was lost, BUT, if the clerk didn't act we could have had 2 dead clerks. I feel better about 1 dead robber. (armed robber).

Liquor clerk for Senator !!!!!

I'm glad to see all the support for Big Bob on here, that store is right in Tim Murray's neighborhood and not far from an elementary school and some local colleges. Worcester is going downhill but it's good to see the people fighting back against the filth and the scum, but my heart goes out to the clerks because this will really have an emotional toll on them I"m sure. They are great guys and I hope anyone in Worcester or the area will consider stopping in there sometime after it opens to support these businessmen who are just tyring to live their lives honestly. God bless them this Christmas.

The clerk did right.

This is not as easy as having a gun; it's harder to defend than attack. The criminal had the drop on the clerk, which is a difficult situation. He obviously was brave and handled the situation well.

He's almost certainly prevented 10 more robberies, a rape or two and a homicide, plus the bill for putting him through the prison revolving door a few times.

#68 Z. Starr December 11, 08 12:59 PM
"If he had given over the money, it's safe to presume that no one would have been killed"
Are you nuts? (That's a rhetorical question :-)
People are maimed and killed constantly in these robberies even when they co-operate. As for insurance, sure, YOU can find and buy the insurance, pay the deductable, prove that cash was stolen, and then insure the store yourself when it gets cancelled. Quick hint for you: retail stores are not insured for cash lost during robberies. There's also no insurance for when the criminal's buddies come back to kill the clerk to prevent him from testifying.

Criminals are not following your directions, they follow their own, which includes shooting people for what you would call no reason. Its unfortunate that social engineers like yourself don't work nights in a liquor store or live in the areas where this happens.

"If handguns were illegal, then no one would have been shot."

Posted by Dan Costa December 11, 08 11:04 AM

Dan,

Chances are if hand guns were illegal, then only the robber would have been armed with a handgun and who knows how the headlines would have read?
If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.
This store clerk was legal in all aspects of him having his firearm available. I have sympathy for the clerk as he will have this burden for the rest of his life.

ZStarr- What makes you so sure the robber would not have shot the clerks after he got the $?

Bottom line is the dead guy made choices that caused his death. If a gun gets pulled, it's a fool that thinks it won't get used. The risk is too high to think that someone who pulls a gun won't use it. I wouldn't risk my life on that.

I'm happy and sad for the clerk. Happy he (and the other clerk) is alive, but sad he had to kill someone to ensure his own safety.

Zstar, you got it completely wrong. Like so many who simply don't understand the concept of self-defense, you assume you understand the intent of the criminal and assume that everyone else should, like you, assume that his intent was as benevolent as possible. Yes, this was an armed robbery. But it was also assault with a deadly weapon (he pointed a gun at the clerk). He didn't just demand money, he threatened the clerk's life. The fact that he was using that threat to extort money does not mitigate the threat itself as a separate criminal act justifying lethal force as a defensive action.

The clerk wasn't stopping a robbery, he was defending his life. The law very specifically does see it this way, because only an idiot assumes the best under these circumstances. Department of Justice statistics bear this out. People who resist robberies with a weapon are less likely to be injured than those who cooperate, or even worse, try to negotiate. Your twisted logic seems to imply that the clerk would only be justified in defending himself after the robber had already shot him, since you see this as "just" an armed robbery, with property being the only thing defended. You don't understand all the legal and practical implications of that crime. This is obviously a subject about which you aren't very well educated.

Despite the media and political rhetoric, your best chance to survive a criminal act is to resist with force, and preferably with a weapon. The most sickening people are those who would deprive everyone else of the right to do so, simply because they've taken great pains to avoid any responsibility for their own lives by farming out anything they themselves find at all unpleasant (like self defense) to someone else. Robbers already often do just shoot everyone, even when everyone cooperates, so this incident, and others like it, isn't likely to increase the violence of robberies as much as they are likely to deter them.

Yes, it's tragic that someone died, but thankfully it was the person who chose to use violence to victimize others, and not or more of his innocent victims. The clerk did right; he will almost certainly face no criminal charges, and shouldn't. If more people were as willing to take responsibility for their own lives, instead of expecting someone else (like the government) to do it for them, we'd have a lot less crime to begin with. It's a lack of personal responsibility, on the part of both criminals and their enabling cooperative victims, that causes crime. Si vis pacem, para bellum - if you want peace, prepare for war. As Bruce Lee used to say, you learn to fight so that you don't have to. This is true at all levels of society, including the individual. Those who refuse to do this, and instead expect others to carry that burden for them, encourage crime and criminals. They're parasites on the society which they expect to keep them safe.

How sad this guy made a poor choice. I am sad for the victims all of them the robber the store clerk, all of them how sad A life had to be taken, and how sad we have people in such a desparate way that they would try this.
I am really sorry for all the heartless people who say good for him ,no one will miss him, how sad merry Christmas ,happy holidays and all that, now lets go kill some bad guy who is desparate and has made a terrible mistake

This was a senseless murder, cold blooded! Guns kill millions of people every day.

To Dave Carm,

Under many other circumstances I would feel sorry for the robber since he may have simply made one bad decision and it cost him his life. But in this situation, Mr. Rivera is a career criminal. He makes a living by being a parasite. While his family and fiends may miss him, (it almost pains me to say this) society will not.

I believe that in the long run, a world without Mr. Rivera is a better one.

My condolences to the Rivera family.

I carry a loaded Glock 19 because I can't fit a cop in my pocket.

"This was a senseless murder, cold blooded! "

I don't know, makes a lot of sense to me.

Abby, this wasn't murder, and it wasn't cold-blooded. You obviously have no clue what either term means. Buy a dictionary.

Dave Carm, this was also not a mistake on the part of the criminal. Even if he wasn't a career criminal, saying he "made a mistake" implies that he didn't know better. This is more enabling garbage. He didn't make a mistake, he made a conscious decision to threaten the life of two people with a deadly weapon in order to steal. To see this as anything but an intentional heinous act on his part is to excuse, and thereby justify, violent crime. And he wasn't desperate, which, despite what some would have us believe, is seldom the reason criminals commit crimes. He was a career criminal who preyed on the people who were responsible enough to earn a living rather than take it by force from the weaker members of our society. Someone probably will miss him. So what? He obviously didn't care very much about them either. He wasn't a victim, he was a parasite, and he created the situation that led to his death. No one else is responsible and no one should mourn the fact that his intended victims aren't the ones who died.

For anyone who thinks that the clerk was not 100% justified, read the news in Atlanta today, where a clerk was robbed by two men and shot for no reason, or about the group that was just arrested in South Florida for robbing Duncan Donut shops, who would shoot the witnesses on the way out. Cooperating is frequently the best way to end up dead. Armed robbery is one of the leading causes of murder (which is the CRIMINAL killing of an innocent person) in this country, and it starts with a credible threat to kill the victims. Anyone finding themselves in that position legally can, and if possible should, defend themselves to the best of their ability. It's not about protecting property, as the politicians who travel around with armed guards, or their followers, would like us to believe, it's about defending your life.

Here's a little excerpt from a recent news story about the Florida trio:
"The crime sprees began on Nov. 14, authorities said, when the group's accused ringleader, James Herard, 19, ordered his confederates to ''find and kill a person.''

Eric Jean-Pierre, 39, had just finished his night shift at a restaurant and was walking home when the men spotted him walking in Lauderhill, police said.

The three men waited for Jean-Pierre, then Herard, sitting in the passenger seat, yelled ''bust him, bust him,'' detectives said, and one of his accomplices opened fire with a 20-gauge shotgun. After hitting Jean-Pierre in the heart, the men drove away in their white Toyota, laughing at the ''funny'' sounds made by Jean-Pierre.

On Thanksgiving night, Kiem Huynh, a 56-year-old visitor from Vietnam, was stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts in Tamarac to buy coffee. Police say the three suspects robbed the store and shot Huynh in the back; others were injured."

Anyone who assumes that an armed robber does not also intend to kill or otherwise harm you is a corpse waiting to be buried. These are not "desperate" people who "make mistakes", they're dangerous predatory animals and you should react accordingly.

just think.. soon mr Obama and the rest of the liberal leadership will want to stop the sale of handguns to law abiding citizens.
Then the criminal element will be able to have their way.
It's great to live in a country where the constitution guarantees the rights of the citizens to protect what is theirs. We need to keep it that way.

I have a lot of respect for the store clerk. He did what he had too in a very grave situation. The fact that the perpetrator died does not bother me at all. I have a greater concern that store clerk survive the emotional and legal aftermath that follows. I further honestly believe the community is better that the perpetrator is dead.

"If handguns were illegal, then no one would have been shot."
Posted by Dan Costa December 11, 08 11:04 AM

Dan, you are an idiot. If handguns were illegal, than the clerk most likely would not have a gun, and therefore not be able to defend himself. The suspect certainly did not care about any laws that fateful evening. There is a good chance the suspect could have or would have shot the clerk. Do you honestly believe someone would rob a store with a loaded gun with no intention of using it?

To poster # 102,

You, lady, are an insufferable imbecile.

For Dan Costa, who said "If handguns were illegal, then no one would have been shot." - Your argument is equivalent to saying that if robbery were illegal, then nobody would have been doing any robbing. Oh.... wait... robbery is illegal. Sorry - brain lapse there.

Last time I checked, a criminal is defined as one who disregards the law. If guns were illegal, then the clerk (who does abide by the law) would likely not have been armed to defend himself against this career thug. Since the robber is already a criminal with no apparent aversion to armed robbery, home burglary and dealing cocaine (see WBZ article on this guy), he also wouldn't worry too much about running afoul of firearms possession laws while he is busy committing other crimes.

Good riddance to the robber. My prayers are with the clerk tonight, who will likely not be the same for a long time, having been forced to take a life defending himself.

"So I guess we're promoting vigilantism now eh? What a load! What are the police for again? :-P
Posted by DI$CO "
SO WHERE WERE THE POLICE, AGAIN?

SO WHERE WERE THE POLICE

If handguns were illegal, then no one would have been shot.

Criminals obey laws?

This sort of thing happens more often than you hear about, and we need to hear about ALL such stories showing how guns PROTECT law-abiding people as the police cannot. This sort of thing can happen anywhere, not just the liquor shop or 7-11. Homes get invaded, people get raped in mall parking lots. Anyone's wife, child, loved one can be a victim of the depraved scumbags that are out there. If you don't already own a gun, get one, and learn how to use it. Then pray that " Obama doesn't take your right to own one away..

It's true. If guns are outlawed, only outlaws have guns. Any idiot know this.

job well done