Jewelry Store Owner Shoots Robber Who Snatched Granddaughter's Necklace
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Robbing the store wasn't enough; a Chicago man is accused of ripping a necklace off the neck of a 4-year-old girl at a West Rogers Park jewelry store.
As CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports, the jewelry store owner turned the tables on the robber and shot him, to protect his wife and granddaughter.
It happened Monday afternoon at Starlight Jewelery, at 2709 W. Devon Ave. just west of Washtenaw Avenue.
Police said 19-year-old Musa Thomas walked into the jewelry store with a gun, and ripped a necklace right off the neck of the owner's 4-year-old granddaughter.
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The store owner struggled to comfort his granddaughter during the robbery.
"I told her don't worry. Don't cry. He's a good man," he said.
It's a crime that left her father stunned.
"It's heart-wrenching," the store owner's son said.
Thomas, who the store owner's family had known for years, walked through the front door like any other customer. But in just minutes he pulled a gun on the owner and demanded he open the safes, which were empty.
The lack of valuables, police said, might have pushed the robber over the edge.
The store owner said he shot the man to protect his wife and two young grandchildren.
"I don't think about myself, never," the store owner said.
Customers and others were just hearing about the crime on Wednesday.
"This is really ridiculous. It's always something happens to good people," said customer Mimesh Patel.
Thomas allegedly got only $11 from the cash register, and a few pieces of jewelry.
The stolen goods probably weren't worth the time he's facing behind bars.
"You can't be mad at him. He probably needed money. He probably needed something," the store owner's son said.
Thomas has been charged with armed robbery. He was hospitalized at Saint Francis Hospital in Evanston after he was shot. Court information was not immediately available.
