Iowa: It wasn't a game to stare down a .44 - 2 dead BG's.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Waterloo, Iowa

From the June 16, 2010 Cedar Rapids Gazette:

UPDATE: Names have now been released of the two would-be robbers who were killed this morning after they flashed guns while entering the East 4th St Liquor Store, at 1027 East 4th St, Waterloo.

Police say Robert Maurice Bolden, 21, of Waterloo died at the scene. Antonio McNeal Sproles, 21, of Waterloo was taken by ambulance to Allen Memorial Hospital, where he pronounced dead.

The clerk, Johnny Lee Sanders, 65, of Waterloo was not injured. He was taken to the Waterloo Police Department, where a statement was taken.

Police say Bolden and Sproles arrived around 2 a.m. when Sanders was getting ready to close. The men came in with guns and Sanders shot them, according to investigators.

“The clerk was getting ready to close and two suspects burst in with guns and attempted to rob the place and the clerk was armed and returned fire and ultimately killed both suspects,” said Waterloo Police Chief Dan Trelka.

Police say Sanders saw the men come in and grabbed a .44 caliber handgun. He shot both men, according to police. One fell immediately inside the store; the other stumbled to get away but then fell at the entrance of the store.

Waterloo Police Captain Tim Pillack said the men clearly wanted to rob the store, and cited the fact that their mouths were covered with bandanas and refused to leave when the clerk told them to.


SIA sourced this at http://www.thearmedcitizen.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
This story reminded me of TAM's comment, something to the effect "Don't mess with
armed old men, they'd rather shoot you than fight you."

[joe817]

Interesting story SIA. Thanks for posting! Word must be getting out that it's ok to defend yourself against armed gunmen who want to kill or rob you.

[glbedd53]

The bandanas were to protect them from germs and the guns were only for self defense.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

http://gazetteonline.com/local-news/sta ... l-shooting

Check out the above link for some more info and a pic from the crime scene.
It's unclear if the man in the "72" shirt is the .44-using clerk, but he looks like
he could be 65.

The clerk recognized the dead men as regular customers in the store with whom
he had never had a problem!

Even though they were wearing bandanas over their faces, it seems to me that they
might have killed him after getting the money, fearing that he may have recognized
their voices. If their bandanas slipped down during the robbery, I think the chances
increase of them killing him, had he not been armed.

The comments from the public below the above link's text are right on.

There was another facet of the story that I saw somewhere, that the relatives and friends
of the dead robbers had gone to the liquor store in either a memorial or a protest after
their illustrious brain surgeons got 86'd by the clerk with great situational awareness and
a no-nonsense .44 with which to back it up. Sheesh.

SIA

[karder]

the relatives and friends
of the dead robbers had gone to the liquor store in either a memorial or a protest after
their illustrious brain surgeons got 86'd by the clerk

It always bothers me when I see the sound bites on the local news with the distraught family saying how they don't understand why their loved ones, who were in the process of committing an assault or robbery, had to be killed. I can understand the families grief, but to blame the shooter for the deaths of their loved ones is ridiculous. They need to do their grieving in Church, not in front of the store owner's business.

[mrpesas]

I get that all the time. Everybodies kid is an "angel" and couldn't possibly be at fault. What happened to raising your kids right and making them own up for their actions?