Police: Bronx Store Owner Shoots, Kills Robbery Suspect
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police say a store owner shot and killed a robbery suspect late Sunday night in the Bronx.
It happened around 10:30 p.m. at J Market on Morrison Avenue in the Soundview neighborhood.
Police said the 43-year-old store owner shot 32-year-old Daniel Meeks once in the head, killing him.
"That's just crazy. This neighborhood is unsafe," one Soundview resident said.
The owner did have a permit to own a pistol, and investigators are working to determine whether that was the weapon used in the incident, CBS2's Janelle Burrell reported.
Police said Meeks, who did not appear to be armed, had a lengthy criminal record dating back to 2006. He was arrested in July for allegedly trying to rob another store and menacing someone with a knife.
The Bronx owner has been questioned by police, but no charges have been filed. Neighbors said they wouldn't expect him to kill someone, even in self-defense.
"He's friendly, he's not bad in the neighborhood or anything. He's good," the resident said.
"I just finished working with him earlier this year," another added. "I have no knowledge of him having a pistol."
Now, many in the neighborhood are wondering: Did he do the right thing?
"It's bad enough we live a cruel world, there's no need to be shooting people," the first resident said.
"I tip my cap to him. He did what he had to do. He was protecting his business. And if he had family working in there with him, then yes, he was protecting his family," the second added.
Police have not said whether anyone else was inside the store at the time, and the circumstances that led up to the shooting remain under investigation.
