A would-be armed robber was shot and killed after flashing a gun and demanding money at a Chicago auto parts store on Saturday, prompting the store manager to respond with deadly force.
Police said the O’Reilly Auto Parts manager, a valid holder of Illinois’ Firearms Owners Identification card, shot a male robber between 30 and 40 years old, who died of his injuries after being transported to University of Chicago Hospital, Fox News reported.
The store’s vestibule was peppered with bullet holes and shattered glass, and a handgun was seen near the store’s entrance, Fox reported.
The incident happened around 2:30 p.m. at an O’Reilly Auto Parts store in the 9100 block of South Stony Island Avenue, CBS News reported. Detectives were reportedly continuing to investigate the incident.
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FOX 32 Chicago asked a nearby resident, Fisher Hughes, to give his impressions of the store manager.
“He’s a nice guy. Nice. Very helpful. Seems like he’s been with the company for a while. He’s very professional,” Hughes said. “He’s a Christian guy. He was playing Christian music at one time I went in.”
The shooting was at least the 45th time since 2020 that Chicago gun owners with concealed carry licenses have stopped attacks or other crimes, based on a Fox News Digital analysis from February.
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Various crimes such as murder, robbery, sexual assault, and motor vehicle theft have been increasing in Chicago since at least 2019, according to Chicago Police Department data. There have been 2,225 robberies in the city so far this year, a 15 percent increase from 2022.
These crimes – which also include aggravated battery, burglary, and theft – have overall increased 46 percent since 2022, according to the data.
