Holdup victim shot, killed by police

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http://www.tennessean.com/sii/00/04/22/shooting22.shtml

Holdup victim shot, killed by police

By Jennifer Peebles / Staff Writer

Two Metro police officers shot and killed a Madison store owner who was firing at two robbery suspects last night, police said.

Chong Hwan An, 49, of Madison, owner of Boutique World salon, was shot to death in the parking lot near his store in the Madison Square Shopping Center on Gallatin Road South, a strip mall anchored by an Aldi food store.

An was shot by two on-duty Metro officers when the officers ordered him to put down his weapon, and he instead continued to fire at the man and woman who had just robbed his store, Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron said last night.

The two officers, John Nicholson and Mark Bradshaw of Metro's East Sector, were leaving the Piccadilly Cafeteria in the same shopping center when they heard the gunfire.

Both have been placed on routine administrative assignment while the shooting is investigated, Metro Police Capt. Steve Anderson said.

The incident last night was the third police-involved fatal shooting since March 30.
Family members spoke of An as a very hard worker. A Nashville resident for seven years, he immigrated to the United States from South Korea 25 years ago, said his brother-in-law, Han D. Lee.

Lee owns the Seoul Sports Wear store in the same shopping center. His brother-in-law was shot on the sidewalk in front of Lee's store.

The series of events began when a man and a woman held up Boutique World at 838 Madison Square, the salon owned by An, about 7:30 p.m. and took an undisclosed amount of money from An and his wife after holding a gun to their heads, Aaron said.

An then pulled a .40-caliber semiautomatic pistol he had concealed on his person and exchanged several shots with the robbers in his store, Aaron said.

The two robbery suspects then ran out of the salon and carjacked a Jeep in a nearby parking lot, ordering out of it a woman and her daughter, Anderson said.

An dashed out of his store and followed the suspects, firing at them while they fled in the Jeep, Aaron said.

The officers, then coming out of the restaurant, heard the gunshots, "saw Mr. An with the weapon and ordered him to drop the gun," Aaron said. They were not aware of the robbery that had just occurred at Boutique World and the shootings that had taken place there, Aaron said.

When he continued to fire at the fleeing suspects, they shot An from about 40 yards away, Aaron said. Both officers were believed to have fired at An, Anderson said.
Police were not sure last night if there was a language barrier that might have impeded An's understanding of the officers' commands, Anderson said.

Meanwhile, the Jeep sped away and was later found abandoned near the shopping center.
Jennifer Szostecki, 17, of Nashville, was in custody last night, Aaron said, and she was expected to be charged with various offenses today in Davidson County Juvenile Court.

Police found on her an amount of money they believe was taken in the holdup at Boutique World, Aaron said. Police were still searching for the male suspect late last night. The occupants of the carjacked Jeep were not injured in the ordeal, police said.

In the other recent police shootings, officers killed Timothy Hayworth, 18, on March 30. Investigators said four policemen -- Officer Andy Belew, robbery detective Sgt. Freddie Stromatt and detectives Mike Chastain and Bill Stroud -- fired on Hayworth, a robbery suspect, because he tried to run them down with his car.

Ten days later, on April 9, a man stopped for speeding, Larry Davis, 25, was shot in the back of the head and neck while inside his car after Metro officers Jeff Bauer, 30, and Scott McGonigle, 30, feared he was about to run over Bauer, the officers' attorneys said.

Just last week, on April 12, the Madison Square Shopping Center parking lot was the site of another shooting incident -- this one not involving police -- after several men got into an argument. That gunfire was not fatal to anyone.

© Copyright 2000 The Tennessean
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>An was shot by two on-duty Metro officers when the officers ordered him to put down his weapon, and he instead continued to fire at the man and woman who had just robbed his store, Metro Police spokesman Don Aaron said last night.[/quote]

Sounds like a good shoot to me.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>they shot An from about 40 yards away,[/quote]

Don't think there was any point-shooting on this one.

LawDog
 
Sorry, I can't agree. Would you, with ears ringing from gunshots, hear and heed a verbal command from fourty yards when fighting for your life? This *may* be an excusable homicide but I am not so sure.
 
So, are the suspects going to be charged with the murder of An? Isn't that what happens when another is killed in the commission of a crime, especially when a firearm is used???

This thing stinks. I wonder what would have happened if the geographicals were in Texas, rather than in Tennessee.

Just another case of blind Justice.

Best Regards,
Don

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The most foolish mistake we could make would be to allow the subjected people to carry arms; history shows that all conquerers who have allowed their subjected people to carry arms have prepared their own fall.
Adolf Hitler
 
Oleg, they were fleeing in a Jeep. An shot at them after they had left the store, after they had left the mall. From what I read, he chased them into the parking lot and shot at them after the hi-jacked a Jeep.

If he was indeed 'Fighting for his life' then he was in fear for his life. I find it difficult to believe that someone in fear for his life would chase the objects of his fear.

LawDog

[This message has been edited by LawDog (edited April 22, 2000).]
 
IMHO, good shoot.

You see someone shooting and who refuses to stop. You aren't in the position to ask why.

What if, Oleg, you were driving away from a looney like recommend in driving tactics classes - do you the cavalry when arriving - to bring an interpreter or worry about someone's hearing?

Another point that if you are going to have a gun for selfdefense, it is a good idea to take a serious class or two, or maybe read some of the good books out there.

In fact, my opinion of my ramboness has significantly changed after several FOF classes. Quite easy to talk big before.
 
I expect Jennifer Szostecki, age 17, will come up with the name of her friend after she is charged with An's murder.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Oatka:
...

When he continued to fire at the fleeing suspects...
[/quote]

What more has to be said?

You are not allowed to defend your property with lethal force.

~USP
 
I see your point as to it being a "good shoot" legally...otoh, if these two carjacked bystanders, they were a continued threat and thus subject to extermination. Hope they don't see the outside of a jail cell, ever.
 
For one thing, remember that off-duty policemen have been killed in similar circumstances, as have undercover officers.

Mr. An would have been legal under Texas law, which speaks to "continuing danger to the community" as justification. However, legal does not necessarily equate with practical.

I can understand the LEO's reasoning; they thought they were protecting innocent people in the car.

This is just another writeoff as "tragedy". I feel sorry for all concerned--except the two @#%$#$ who started it.

FWIW, Art
 
A few questions. Did the officers consider any other reaction? Do you think An heard the officers? If the officers had come upon a fellow officer blasting aweay, would their reaction have been the same?

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Better days to be,

Ed
 
It's dark and you hear shots fire and arrive upon the scene. You see a civilian blasting away at some unidentified target. You order the civilian to cease and to disarm himself. Instead of complying, he continues blasting away.

Do you wait until he kills someone or turns the gun on you or do you shoot? That's the question the trier of fact must address and it's not an easy call.
 
In TX, Art - the law probably won't be on your side on this one. The jury might let you off.

But you have to be defending irretriveable property - a car is not such or thought to be
on the way to commit more immediate illegal acts - not simply fleeing.

There was no other option - one should let RKBA fervor blind you from the fact that sometimes law enforcement has to act.

A guy was shooting and did not cease.
That's all she wrote.
A tragedy but tough.

Avoid this by geting significant training and avoid armchair legalisms and ramboism.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Oleg Volk:
Sorry, I can't agree. Would you, with ears ringing from gunshots, hear and heed a verbal command from fourty yards when fighting for your life? This *may* be an excusable homicide but I am not so sure.[/quote]

I have to agree that, while certainly a tragedy, the shoot was probably justified. The store owner was no longer defending himself, he was shooting at fleeing suspects. If an officer comes upon a person blazing away in a mall parking lot, and he refuses to stop firing, what is he supposed to do?
 
Jennifer Szostecki, age 17, Damn, another one of those "children" that Clinton and the CDC says need protection from guns.
 
I am not LEO, but I believe this to be a good shoot, if there is such a thing.

I agree, another "poor child" to be used as a statistic for the gun grabbers.

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" But when you've been granted the privilege of being heard, take great care with this power and watch every word"
Black Oak Arkansas
 
What a mess! The best reason An could have had for shooting at the Jeep is if the person they stole the Jeep from was still in the car. In that case, she was in immediate danger.

Even so, how are the police to know what's going on? An could have been the perp. shooting at the store owner trying to get away. I can't think of a better solution to this situation. It's horrible.

On a somewhat morbid note... a 40 yard shot! Wow! What were they shooting with? Maybe these officers should go to NYC to show them how to shoot.
 
40 yards? I don't trust the media's measurements. Until it's verified I'll file this with the "357 mm handgun" and the "45 mm" pistol than occasionally creeps into the papers.

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So many pistols, so little money.
 
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