80-year-old store owner shoots would-be robber

An 80-year-old supermarket owner fired his shotgun at a gunman who tried to rob his Norco store over the weekend, officials said.

Surveillance video shows several people arriving in a black SUV at the Norco Market & Liquor on the 800 block of Sixth Street around 2:45 a.m. Sunday.

One of the would-be robbers enters the store with a gun drawn, but seconds later the store owner steps behind a glass case and fires a single shot. The suspect immediately retreats to a waiting vehicle and keeps yelling, “He shot my arm off!”

Four suspects were found shortly after at a nearby hospital, where one was being treated for a gunshot wound, according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.

The others were found outside in a vehicle suspected of being stolen, authorities said.

Police arrested Justin Johnson, 22, of Inglewood; Jamar Williams, 27, from Los Angeles; andDaph Broadus, 24, of Las Vegas on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy. The men are being held in lieu of $500,000 bail, according to a statement from the Sheriff’s Department.

The identity of the fourth suspect who was shot has not been released. He “remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition” and “will be transferred to a Riverside County jail upon discharge from the hospital,” sheriff’s officials said.

The shooting is still under investigation. In a statement, the sheriff’s department recognized the store owner’s role in “preventing a violent crime” and ensuring his “own safety while confronted with multiple armed suspects.”

Tamara Gibbons, a Norco Market employee, said the owner, who has not been identified, was taken to a hospital after the shooting, where he is still recovering.

Gibbons wasn’t in the store at the time, nor were her colleagues, who are all women, she said. But after the incident, they discussed what they would have done in a similar situation.

“It makes me want to get more protection myself,” Gibbons said. “We’re all getting along pretty well now that they caught the guy, but before that we were pretty uncomfortable being in here, especially by ourselves.”

Gibbons said she and the other employees feared the suspect might come back.

“You have to remember that these gentlemen came here for a reason and didn’t get what they came for. What’s more, one of her hands was shot off,” she said.

In the days since the shooting, Gibbons said business at Norco Market was “off the hook.” Phones are constantly ringing with calls from people sending their thoughts and prayers. Guests from other cities have come to the store to show their support.

“It shows older people that they can stand up for themselves,” Gibbons said. “Just because of your age doesn’t mean you’re not capable of doing something like that.”