Hawthorne, California

From Los Angeles’ CBS2.com of April 21, 2006

Clerk Kills Gunman, Wounds Teen During Robbery

A liquor store clerk in Hawthorne fatally shot an armed thief and accidentally wounded a 15-year-old girl during an attempted robbery on Thursday night.

The shooting occurred around 7:30 p.m. at a liquor store in the 13300 block of Prairie Avenue, between El Segundo Boulevard and 133rd Street, said Deputy Oscar Butao of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The clerk shot at an armed gunman and his accomplice as they tried to rob the store. The gunman, who never fired, according to Butao, died at the scene.

A 15-year-old girl who was shopping in the store was struck by the clerk's gunfire and was taken to a hospital, where she displayed stable vital signs, Butao said.

The other robber fled on foot and was at large this morning, he said.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department is assisting Hawthorne police with the investigation.