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By Sarah Calams
NORCO, Calif. — Security video of an 80-year-old store owner who shot an armed robber’s “arm off” while he entered into the man’s convenience store with a semi-automatic rifle has gone viral. Now, the store owner, who suffered a heart attack as a result of the incident, is speaking out for the first time.
Craig Cope fired his shotgun at the suspect, who was hit in the arm and fled the scene with four other suspects, CBS News reported. “He shot my arm off! He shot my arm off” the suspect yells in the video.
“The guy is in the hospital, in critical condition. So, it must have been a pretty good shot,” Cope’s wife said. Cope needed three stents following his heart attack, but he’s out of the hospital and recovering.
Cope’s wife said the shooting sends one message: “Stay out of Norco, because everybody in Norco has a gun,” she said.
Meanwhile, Cope said he “just did what he had to do.”
“I would always protect my employees, my customers, myself,” he said. “This instance, fortunately, I was here by myself, so I only had to worry about that. I took care of it and that was that.”
Cope also commented on the recent crime uptick at convenience stores, saying, “We’ve got bad people. Let’s face it … we need to get them locked up because this is a scary situation when that happens. Everybody works hard. They got bills to pay. These guys are going to come in and take it away from you. Not here.”
The suspects have been charged with robbery and conspiracy.
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