EAST RIDGE, Tenn. — An armed robbery attempt at a Kangaroo gas station turned fatal when a good guy with a gun showed up and took down a suspect holding a female clerk hostage.
According to WDEF, an unidentified robber armed with a knife who had taken an employee hostage after stealing cash and cigarettes was shot and killed when an unidentified man retrieved a gun from his vehicle and shot him in the chest.
The robber has not been identified until next of kin are notified, East Ridge police Capt. Tim Mullinax told WDEF.
"We’re having a difficult time tracking down next of kin of the person who was shot," Mullinax told WDEF. "Until we do that, we won’t be releasing anyone’s names."
The police captain went on to give details about how the suspect was taken down.
“They encountered a customer on the front sidewalk. The customer ran back to his vehicle and retrieved a weapon. The suspect who was shot confronted him and he fired at least one round striking him in the body,” he said.
The shot was taken while the female clerk was being held at knifepoint.
The armed citizen decided to take what, by all accounts, sounded like a risky shot, but he ended the hostage situation.
Police said the man will not face any charges, but could have if he’d hit the hostage instead of his target.
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