Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

From Philadelphia’s KYW1060.com of March 8, 2007

2 Alleged Robbers Shot by Diner Owner in West Oak Lane

An alleged holdup man is dead and another is hospitalized after the owner of a diner in West Oak Lane got the drop on them.

According to police, two armed men walked into the Sunrise Breakfast Shop, on Washington Lane near Forest, about 7am Thursday and announced a robbery.

But, investigators say, the shop owner pulled his own gun and opened fire. One suspect was shot and killed -- he was pronounced dead at the scene -- and the other was shot in the face and wounded. That 25-year-old suspect was rushed to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he was listed in critical but stable condition.

Police were questioning the diner owner about the incident.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer of March 10, 2007

Deja vu for diner owner who shot 2 during holdup

The luncheonette owner who used his licensed revolver to shoot and kill one would-be armed robber and wound another this week had been in a similar situation before, police confirmed yesterday.

And that 1993 shooting at a grocery mirrored the situation and the outcome Thursday at Sunrise Breakfast in West Oak Lane - with one suspected bandit left dead and the other wounded.

Jason Lee was not charged in the earlier case, and no charges are expected in Thursday's shooting.

The first confrontation was on Aug. 15, 1993, when two men walked into a grocery run by Lee's family at 68th Avenue and Broad Street in East Oak Lane.

Police said at that time that the robbery took place about 8:30 a.m., and that Lee pulled his handgun and fired when he emerged from a back room and saw that one of the men had grabbed his wife by the throat.

A 30-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene from three gunshot wounds, including one to the head. The second man was found nearby with bullet wounds to the chest and thigh.

From Philadelphia‘s NBC10.com of March 12, 2007

Shot Suspects In Attempted Armed Robbery Have Law Enforcement Ties

The NBC 10 investigators uncovered new information about a fatal Philadelphia restaurant robbery caught on cell phone video.

Both suspects are from families who work in law enforcement, NBC 10 reported.

Authorities said two people tried to hold up Sunrise Breakfast Thursday morning, but the owner shot them before they got away.

According to police sources, the man who was wounded and can be seen on the ground in cell phone video is the son of a Philadelphia police officer.

Police identified him as 24-year-old Gary Williams.

Investigators said Williams is one of two men who tried to rob the West Oak Lane restaurant at gunpoint.

But during a gun battle the owner, Jason Lee, shot and wounded Williams.

NBC 10 tracked down Williams' grandmother, but she didn't want to talk. A next-door neighbor said he has been living with his grandmother ever since his mother moved out of state.

"She would probably come back now because of the situation. She probably will come back," neighbor Doretha Fields said.

Also during the early morning robbery attempt, police said Lee shot and killed, 20-year-old Cornell Toombs.

The NBC 10 investigators have learned that Toombs also has very close ties to law enforcement.

Prison officials at the Curran Fromhold Correction Facility in Philadelphia, confirmed Toombs' mother works there as a corrections officer.

Officials said she has 17 years on the job.

Police said Toombs had jumped over the counter with his gun drawn when the owner shot and killed him.

Williams remains hospitalized in critical, but stable condition.

Those who live in and visit this area said they are still shocked by what happened last week.