Friday, August 14, 2009

Dead Goblin Alert

as Kim used to say, this time from- of all places- New York Effing City:
They strode into the restaurant supply store in Harlem shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, four young men intent on robbery, one with a Glock 9-millimeter pistol, the police said. The place may have looked like an easy mark, a high-cash business with an owner in his 70s, known as a gentle, soft-spoken man.

But Charles Augusto Jr., the 72-year-old proprietor of the Kaplan Brothers Blue Flame Corporation, at 523 West 125th Street, near Amsterdam Avenue, had been robbed several times before, despite the fact that his shop is around the corner from the 26th Precinct station house on West 126th Street.
...
Watching it happen, Mr. Augusto, whom neighborhood friends call Gus, rose from a chair 20 to 30 feet away and took out a loaded Winchester 12-gauge pump-action shotgun with a pistol-grip handle. The police said he bought it after a robbery 30 years ago.
...
The first shot took down the gunman at the front. He died almost immediately, according to the police, who said he was 29 and had been arrested for gun possession in Queens last year and was the nephew of a police officer.

Mr. Augusto’s other two blasts hit all three accomplices, who stumbled out the door, bleeding
.
Considering he's probably not had a lot of practice, not bad shooting at all.

As to the wonderful efficiency of the NYFC gun control laws that we're supposed to love the idea of, the one with the Glock was 29 and had been arrested for gun possession in Queens last year and was the nephew of a police officer. The other deceased The police said he had a record of arrests for weapons possession and robbery. No word on what kind of choirboys the two wounded are.

One thing about this that I admit surprised me was the reported words of relatives of the dead; not the usual "He never did anything wrong!" and such, but- in a fine illustration of what clowns like this do to those who care about them,
“Oh my God!” she wailed. “Why would they want to rob a store?” She started to scream: “Damn! Why? Why would he go to a family store? He got money!” She slumped against the wall and began to pray.
Let's say she was unaware of the previous arrests and this was a shock; how would you comfort someone who just found out a guy they cared about was dead because he tried to rob someone? Not exactly an easy job.

As to the gentleman with the scattergun,
A law enforcement official said that the district attorney was considering a possible misdemeanor weapons charge against Mr. Augusto, indicating that he did not have a permit for the shotgun.
Or it could mean the DA is one of those jerks who wants to file for something, no matter what. We'll see.

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