Trenton, New Jersey

From NJ.com of March 14, 2006

Robber shot to death by storekeeper

A young man who police say was armed with a gun and was trying to rob a corner store was shot to death last night after the storekeeper pulled his own gun from behind the counter.

The deadly confrontation inside the La Nueva Grocery in the 500 block of North Clinton Avenue occurred about 10 p.m.

At midnight, detectives were still trying to unravel exactly what happened but Sgt. Pedro Medina, a police spokesman, said preliminary investigation indicates three young men entered the shop, allegedly intending to rob it.

One of the young men was armed with a handgun, Medina said.

But the holdup did not go as planned, Medina said, because the storekeeper pulled out a gun he kept behind the counter and fatally shot the robber armed with the gun.

The gunman was pronounced dead at the scene. Medina said the suspect's weapon was recovered at the scene.

The two other alleged robbers fled and were being sought by police last night.

Medina said the police department's gang unit is helping with the investigation, but late last night he said it was too soon to tell if any of the would-be robbers were affiliated with any gangs.