Little-Acorn
10-15-2008, 12:57 PM
Good for the Roanoke DA. Sounds like more and more sanity is breaking out, over people's legitimate use of personal weapons to defend themselves against criminals. And how it's the criminal's own responsibility, not his intended victim's, if he winds up dead when he tries to commit a violent crime against an innocent person.
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http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/180485
Deadly shooting deemed justified
by Neil Harvey
A Roanoke pharmacist was justified in using deadly force against a man who was trying to rob him, Roanoke's top prosecutor said Tuesday.
On July 1, police responded to Sanco Drug in the 1200 block of Riverland Road Southeast and found two men with gunshot wounds. One was Sanco's owner and chief pharmacist, Bob Kennedy, who was taken to the hospital and released later that night. The other man, Corey Ramsey, 22, who had been living in Bath County, died at the scene.
Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell said in a news release he would not pursue criminal charges against Kennedy.
Autopsy results showed that Ramsey had levels of the painkiller hydrocodone in his bloodstream two to three times higher than normal therapeutic levels.
"This level would indicate an addiction to hydrocodone which in all likelihood would drive Mr. Ramsey to make desperate judgements," Caldwell concluded.
Ramsey's father, Sam Hiner, said in July his son had suffered a long addiction to pain pills. He said Ramsey had gotten help for his problem earlier this year. Hiner could not be reached Tuesday.
Kennedy said Tuesday he did not wish to talk about the incident or the ruling.
Caldwell's release says that a man, later identified as Ramsey, entered the store wearing latex gloves, a hooded sweatshirt and a bandanna covering the lower half of his face. Ramsey reportedly dove across the payment counter and took three 500-count containers of hydrocodone.
Kennedy, the report continues, meanwhile had grabbed a Glock semi-automatic pistol he kept at the counter. Caldwell said the gun was legally owned.
The report said Ramsey then charged Kennedy. They fell to the ground and struggled, and Kennedy fired five shots. He wounded himself and killed Ramsey.
Police discovered a closed pocketknife near Ramsey's hand which they believe he brought into the store. Kennedy said he was not aware of the presence of the knife during his struggle with Ramsey.
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http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/180485
Deadly shooting deemed justified
by Neil Harvey
A Roanoke pharmacist was justified in using deadly force against a man who was trying to rob him, Roanoke's top prosecutor said Tuesday.
On July 1, police responded to Sanco Drug in the 1200 block of Riverland Road Southeast and found two men with gunshot wounds. One was Sanco's owner and chief pharmacist, Bob Kennedy, who was taken to the hospital and released later that night. The other man, Corey Ramsey, 22, who had been living in Bath County, died at the scene.
Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell said in a news release he would not pursue criminal charges against Kennedy.
Autopsy results showed that Ramsey had levels of the painkiller hydrocodone in his bloodstream two to three times higher than normal therapeutic levels.
"This level would indicate an addiction to hydrocodone which in all likelihood would drive Mr. Ramsey to make desperate judgements," Caldwell concluded.
Ramsey's father, Sam Hiner, said in July his son had suffered a long addiction to pain pills. He said Ramsey had gotten help for his problem earlier this year. Hiner could not be reached Tuesday.
Kennedy said Tuesday he did not wish to talk about the incident or the ruling.
Caldwell's release says that a man, later identified as Ramsey, entered the store wearing latex gloves, a hooded sweatshirt and a bandanna covering the lower half of his face. Ramsey reportedly dove across the payment counter and took three 500-count containers of hydrocodone.
Kennedy, the report continues, meanwhile had grabbed a Glock semi-automatic pistol he kept at the counter. Caldwell said the gun was legally owned.
The report said Ramsey then charged Kennedy. They fell to the ground and struggled, and Kennedy fired five shots. He wounded himself and killed Ramsey.
Police discovered a closed pocketknife near Ramsey's hand which they believe he brought into the store. Kennedy said he was not aware of the presence of the knife during his struggle with Ramsey.