May 24, 2000
Queens Store Owner Shoots Man as He
and Two Others Rob Her
By ANDY NEWMAN
A woman who owns an electronics store in Flushing, Queens, shot
and critically injured a man as he drove off after robbing her store
yesterday, the police said.
The man, Jose Colon, and two other men walked into Digital 2000
Communication at 60-04 Kissena Boulevard at 4:45 p.m., forced the
owner to the back of the store, threw her to the floor and tried to tape
her hands and mouth, said Detective Joseph Pentangelo, a police
spokesman. He said that a witness told the police that one of the men hit
the woman on the head with a cellular phone, and that it was unclear if
the men were armed.
One of the men took a black bag containing $20,000, while another stole
several cell phones and other appliances, and all three ran out and
jumped in a maroon Plymouth van, Detective Pentangelo said.
He said that the woman ran after them and as the van drove off, fired two
shots from a pistol, one of which struck Mr. Colon in the head.
The police found the van half a mile away, at Rose Avenue and Bowne
Street, with Mr. Colon in the driver's seat, bleeding profusely, Detective
Pentangelo said. The money bag, with $17,171 of the $20,000 inside,
was recovered, he added.
The police were searching for the other men.
Mr. Colon, 37, of Corona, Queens, was in critical condition last night at
New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. He is charged with
robbery and possession of stolen property, Detective Pentangelo said.
A spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney's office said that a
decision had not been made whether to charge the 27-year-old store
owner. The spokeswoman, Mary DeBourbon, said that prosecutors
were trying to confirm the woman's claim that the gun, a Glock
9-millimeter, is licensed. Under New York State law, a civilian may use
deadly physical force to stop someone from fleeing after committing a
robbery.
The store owner was treated at St. Joseph's Hospital for stress and a
head bruise, the police said.
The owner of a computer store a few doors away from Digital 2000 on
the busy commercial strip near Queens College described the woman as
the kind of person who would bring back an extra cup of coffee for a
neighbor if she went to Dunkin' Donuts.
"She's a very decent, very friendly person," said Mamun Ahmed, the
owner of the Computer Care Center, adding that he knew the woman
only as Lily. "You can't imagine a person like that being brave enough to
strike back," he said.
Some pretty good shooting there!
Queens Store Owner Shoots Man as He
and Two Others Rob Her
By ANDY NEWMAN
A woman who owns an electronics store in Flushing, Queens, shot
and critically injured a man as he drove off after robbing her store
yesterday, the police said.
The man, Jose Colon, and two other men walked into Digital 2000
Communication at 60-04 Kissena Boulevard at 4:45 p.m., forced the
owner to the back of the store, threw her to the floor and tried to tape
her hands and mouth, said Detective Joseph Pentangelo, a police
spokesman. He said that a witness told the police that one of the men hit
the woman on the head with a cellular phone, and that it was unclear if
the men were armed.
One of the men took a black bag containing $20,000, while another stole
several cell phones and other appliances, and all three ran out and
jumped in a maroon Plymouth van, Detective Pentangelo said.
He said that the woman ran after them and as the van drove off, fired two
shots from a pistol, one of which struck Mr. Colon in the head.
The police found the van half a mile away, at Rose Avenue and Bowne
Street, with Mr. Colon in the driver's seat, bleeding profusely, Detective
Pentangelo said. The money bag, with $17,171 of the $20,000 inside,
was recovered, he added.
The police were searching for the other men.
Mr. Colon, 37, of Corona, Queens, was in critical condition last night at
New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens. He is charged with
robbery and possession of stolen property, Detective Pentangelo said.
A spokeswoman for the Queens district attorney's office said that a
decision had not been made whether to charge the 27-year-old store
owner. The spokeswoman, Mary DeBourbon, said that prosecutors
were trying to confirm the woman's claim that the gun, a Glock
9-millimeter, is licensed. Under New York State law, a civilian may use
deadly physical force to stop someone from fleeing after committing a
robbery.
The store owner was treated at St. Joseph's Hospital for stress and a
head bruise, the police said.
The owner of a computer store a few doors away from Digital 2000 on
the busy commercial strip near Queens College described the woman as
the kind of person who would bring back an extra cup of coffee for a
neighbor if she went to Dunkin' Donuts.
"She's a very decent, very friendly person," said Mamun Ahmed, the
owner of the Computer Care Center, adding that he knew the woman
only as Lily. "You can't imagine a person like that being brave enough to
strike back," he said.
Some pretty good shooting there!