Miami, Florida

From the Miami Herald of November 27, 2006

Thursday not a thankful day for four men

A robber used a lighter resembling a pistol to steal a man's wallet -- only to be shot by his victim, who was armed with a gun that was real.
…

Delbert Leroy Wells, 40, the would-be robber, lingered for two weeks at Jackson Memorial Hospital before succumbing to his wounds on Thanksgiving Day.

On Nov. 8, Miami police say, Wells was driving a white Dodge when he pulled up to the car of Patrick Laguerre on Northwest 75th Street and North Miami Avenue at about 12:20 a.m. He asked for directions.

As Laguerre was responding, Wells pulled out a nickel-plated lighter made to look like a gun.

Laguerre gave him some loose dollars, ''but [Wells] wanted more,'' according to a police report. Wells searched his pockets, fished through his wallet and got back into his own car.

But the wallet was empty.

Wells ''became irate, aiming the handgun at the victim, stated he was going to shoot,'' the police report said.

Laguerre took cover back in his own car, grabbed his own handgun and squeezed off three to four rounds.

Mortally wounded, Wells tried driving off. He crashed into a fence. While at Jackson Memorial Hospital, he was charged with armed robbery.

But Wells died on the Thanksgiving holiday -- delivering Miami homicide detectives a fresh case. Their investigation of the shooting is now under way.

''It seems the victim was defending himself,'' said Miami homicide Sgt. Jose ''Pepi'' Granado.