Wednesday, 20 September 2000
Jeweler: Robber was shot to save kids
By Thomas Stauffer
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Ronald Stallings said he had no intention of shooting an armed robber at his
South Side jewelry store until the man pointed his gun at two young
children.
"He ran me out of options," Stallings said yesterday, a day after the
attempted robbery at his store left one of the robbers dead. "Had he not
pointed the gun at the kids, I never, ever would have shot him."
Justin Edward Garnett, 19, of Tucson, was shot in the chest Monday night at
Golden Creations Jewelry, 5250 S. 12th Ave.
Garnett was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at University Medical
Center, said Sgt. Marco Borboa of the Tucson Police Department.
Garnett and another man entered the store at about 7 p.m. wearing bandannas
on their faces and screaming for everyone to get down, Stallings said.
Stallings, his wife, another couple who co-own the store and their two
children were in the store along with two customers. Stallings said he was
sitting in a chair behind a desk with the other couple's two children, ages
3 and 4, on his lap when the men ran into the store.
"They were yelling for everybody to get down, and I tried to get everybody
under the desk," Stallings said. "I was trying to signal him that we were
getting down, but he didn't give me a chance to say anything."
The man with the gun "kept yelling louder and louder," and his tone of voice
became more "arrogant and violent," Stallings said.
"All of a sudden, he dropped the barrel to where it was pointed at the
kids," he said.
"I was convinced that he was going to shoot one of the kids just to prove
that he would shoot. I knew I didn't have any more options."
Stallings said he reached for the .45-caliber handgun that he carries in a
holster and fired two shots, the first one hitting Garnett in the chest. The
second shot, aimed at the other robber, missed, he said.
"He was holding his hands together in front of him with a bandanna covering
them," said Stallings, who said he believed the second man had a gun.
Garnett stumbled, then followed the second man into the parking lot and into
a gray 1984 Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro had been stolen Monday afternoon
from the parking lot of the Home Depot at 1155 W. Irvington Road, Borboa
said.
Police are still not sure if the two men were accompanied by a third man
waiting in the Camaro, which headed north into an alley behind the store,
Borboa said.
"The people at the complex said they saw three people in the car, but the
people in the neighborhood said there were two in the car," Borboa said.
The driver of the car apparently didn't realize that the alley came to a
dead end, and the car crashed into a fence, he said.
Garnett got out of the car and lay down in the street near South 13th Avenue
and West Ohio Street as one or two men ran from the scene, Borboa said.
Police have developed investigative leads but have not released descriptions
of the other possible suspects, he said.
The landlord at the shopping complex described Stallings as a "good guy."
"He didn't want to shoot that guy. He would have given him everything he
had," said Peter Fung. "He had no problem when the guy was pointing the gun
at him, but when he pointed it at the kids, he said he just had to do
something."
Stallings said he feels a "tremendous amount of anguish and pain" for
Garnett's family but firmly believes what he did was in defense of the lives
of people inside the store.
"I wouldn't have shot him for money. It hurts to lose it, but it's
replaceable," he said. "I just couldn't have lived with myself knowing that
he shot those kids, or my wife, or my friends, and that I didn't do anything
about it."
Golden Creations Jewelry has had two other robberies since the store opened
in late February, but Stallings said he has no intention of moving the
business.
Stallings' wife recently help set up a fund to help the family who lost
three children in a fire allegedly set by a disgruntled customer at their
jewelry store in Naco, Sonora.
"In nine days, we raised and delivered $1,500 for those people and that was
through the generosity of people in this part of town," he said.
Court records show Garnett was arrested July 3 for shoplifting and was
sentenced to probation.
No charges have been filed against Stallings, Borboa said.
A representative from the Pima County Attorney's Office accompanied
detectives at the crime scene, as is the case whenever someone is killed, he
said.
"Right now, the investigation is centering around locating the other
suspects, whether it be one or two," Borboa said.
"As far as (Stallings), the County Attorney's Office will review the facts
and decide as to whether there will be a formal clearance of him."
* Contact Thomas Stauffer at 629-9412 or at stauffer@azstarnet.com.
Jeweler: Robber was shot to save kids
By Thomas Stauffer
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Ronald Stallings said he had no intention of shooting an armed robber at his
South Side jewelry store until the man pointed his gun at two young
children.
"He ran me out of options," Stallings said yesterday, a day after the
attempted robbery at his store left one of the robbers dead. "Had he not
pointed the gun at the kids, I never, ever would have shot him."
Justin Edward Garnett, 19, of Tucson, was shot in the chest Monday night at
Golden Creations Jewelry, 5250 S. 12th Ave.
Garnett was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at University Medical
Center, said Sgt. Marco Borboa of the Tucson Police Department.
Garnett and another man entered the store at about 7 p.m. wearing bandannas
on their faces and screaming for everyone to get down, Stallings said.
Stallings, his wife, another couple who co-own the store and their two
children were in the store along with two customers. Stallings said he was
sitting in a chair behind a desk with the other couple's two children, ages
3 and 4, on his lap when the men ran into the store.
"They were yelling for everybody to get down, and I tried to get everybody
under the desk," Stallings said. "I was trying to signal him that we were
getting down, but he didn't give me a chance to say anything."
The man with the gun "kept yelling louder and louder," and his tone of voice
became more "arrogant and violent," Stallings said.
"All of a sudden, he dropped the barrel to where it was pointed at the
kids," he said.
"I was convinced that he was going to shoot one of the kids just to prove
that he would shoot. I knew I didn't have any more options."
Stallings said he reached for the .45-caliber handgun that he carries in a
holster and fired two shots, the first one hitting Garnett in the chest. The
second shot, aimed at the other robber, missed, he said.
"He was holding his hands together in front of him with a bandanna covering
them," said Stallings, who said he believed the second man had a gun.
Garnett stumbled, then followed the second man into the parking lot and into
a gray 1984 Chevrolet Camaro. The Camaro had been stolen Monday afternoon
from the parking lot of the Home Depot at 1155 W. Irvington Road, Borboa
said.
Police are still not sure if the two men were accompanied by a third man
waiting in the Camaro, which headed north into an alley behind the store,
Borboa said.
"The people at the complex said they saw three people in the car, but the
people in the neighborhood said there were two in the car," Borboa said.
The driver of the car apparently didn't realize that the alley came to a
dead end, and the car crashed into a fence, he said.
Garnett got out of the car and lay down in the street near South 13th Avenue
and West Ohio Street as one or two men ran from the scene, Borboa said.
Police have developed investigative leads but have not released descriptions
of the other possible suspects, he said.
The landlord at the shopping complex described Stallings as a "good guy."
"He didn't want to shoot that guy. He would have given him everything he
had," said Peter Fung. "He had no problem when the guy was pointing the gun
at him, but when he pointed it at the kids, he said he just had to do
something."
Stallings said he feels a "tremendous amount of anguish and pain" for
Garnett's family but firmly believes what he did was in defense of the lives
of people inside the store.
"I wouldn't have shot him for money. It hurts to lose it, but it's
replaceable," he said. "I just couldn't have lived with myself knowing that
he shot those kids, or my wife, or my friends, and that I didn't do anything
about it."
Golden Creations Jewelry has had two other robberies since the store opened
in late February, but Stallings said he has no intention of moving the
business.
Stallings' wife recently help set up a fund to help the family who lost
three children in a fire allegedly set by a disgruntled customer at their
jewelry store in Naco, Sonora.
"In nine days, we raised and delivered $1,500 for those people and that was
through the generosity of people in this part of town," he said.
Court records show Garnett was arrested July 3 for shoplifting and was
sentenced to probation.
No charges have been filed against Stallings, Borboa said.
A representative from the Pima County Attorney's Office accompanied
detectives at the crime scene, as is the case whenever someone is killed, he
said.
"Right now, the investigation is centering around locating the other
suspects, whether it be one or two," Borboa said.
"As far as (Stallings), the County Attorney's Office will review the facts
and decide as to whether there will be a formal clearance of him."
* Contact Thomas Stauffer at 629-9412 or at stauffer@azstarnet.com.
