Port Arthur, Texas

From the Beaumont Examiner of June 25, 2007

Robbery gone wrong; suspect shot repeatedly by store employee

A convenience store employee shot one suspect multiple times during an attempted robbery in Port Arthur Sunday night.

Port Arthur Police responded to a possible shooting at the Stop & Drive at 2500 Gulfway Dr. in Port Arthur at around 10 p.m. Sunday night. When they arrived, police found EMS and Fire Department personnel treating a wounded man in front of the business. Witnesses told police the suspect went into the store and demanded money from the clerk at the counter. A second store employee saw what was happening and retrieved a gun from somewhere in the store. The second employee opened fire on the robbery suspect, striking him several time. The suspect reportedly attempted to flee the store and collapsed just outside the door.

At the last report, the suspect was listed in critical condition at a Beaumont hospital. The Port Arthur Police Department’s Major Crime Team continues to investigate the incident.

From the Beaumont Examiner of July 5, 2007

UPDATE! Tired of being threatened and robbed, one store employee shoots armed robber

Tajamal Shah said he was in fear of his brother’s life when an armed robber who had threatened store employees in a previous robbery pointed a gun at the clerk and told him he would kill him if he would not turn over money from the store’s cash register.

Shah shot 22-year-old Brandon Oliver “multiple times” according to a police report during an attempted robbery in Port Arthur Sunday night.

Port Arthur police responded to a possible shooting at the Stop & Drive at 2500 Gulfway Dr. in Port Arthur at around 10 p.m. Sunday, June 24. When they arrived, police found EMS and Fire Department personnel treating a wounded man in front of the business. Witnesses told police the suspect went into the store and demanded money from the clerk at the counter, Shah’s brother. Shah said he saw what was happening while in his truck outside the store. He retrieved a revolver from the vehicle and entered the store. Shah opened fire on Oliver, striking him several times. Shah said he fired five times and believes he struck the suspect with each bullet. Oliver then attempted to flee the store and collapsed just outside the door. Shah said police arrived within two minutes of the incident. “They were very good,” Shah said of the Port Arthur police who responded to the shooting. “Very quick.”

Shah said that it was not the first time the suspect had robbed the store.

“That was the second time he robbed us,” Shah said. “The first time he threatened us and told us we better have money for him. After that, we stayed alert. This was the second time he robbed the store.” “He told me he was going to kill me if I didn’t give him the money,” Shah’s brother said. “The register was empty. I told him there was no money, but he threatened me.”

Shah said he saw a silver handgun in the suspect’s hand. So, Shah took out his .38 revolver and fired multiple times in Oliver’s direction. Shah said it was the first time he had ever fired a gun. Brandon Oliver died at a Beaumont hospital sometime on Tuesday. Sgt. Rodney Harrison of PAPD said Oliver had been convicted of robbing the same store in 2003. Harrison also confirmed that an armed robber wearing a mask had robbed the store June 19.

“He was wearing a mask so it’s difficult to make a positive I.D.,” Harrison explained. “The robbery on the 19th and the one Sunday night were the same M.O. A mask and firearm recovered at the scene looked similar to the one in the store video. We watched both surveillance tapes, and it appears to be the same suspect.”

Harrison said on Sunday night, the clerk at the store saw a group congregating outside the store, which is what had happened before the robbery on the 19th. The clerk called his brother, Tajamal Shah, because he was suspicious of the group’s activity. Shah pulled close to the door to observe, and his brother put all the money away.

Harrison said Oliver was in Possession of a semi-automatic handgun. Harrison also said police are investigating two cases, one being an aggravated robbery with a deceased defendant and the other a murder investigation. Harrison said the murder investigation would determine whether or not the shooting was justified.

“We do not anticipate charging the store employee,” Harrison said. “State law says that if he was in fear for his life or the life of a third party, which was the case here, he was within his rights … We do not advocate anyone taking matters into their own hands. These two young men felt they had no choice.”