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Craig Cope, 80, was tending his shop as usual shortly before 3am on Sunday when a masked intruder entered carrying an AR-15-style rifle. The rifle was pointed at Cope at Norco Market & Liquor in Norco, Calif., and the suspect yelled, “Freeze, hands in the air.” But Cope pulled a shotgun from under the counter and shot the man, hitting his arm. The incident was recorded by surveillance cameras. The video shows another man get out of a black BMW SUV, but quickly return when he sees the other suspect running out of the store screaming, “He shot my arm,” according to the New York Post. Cope’s 79-year-old wife, Nancy, told the Post that he suffered a heart attack after the terrifying incident, but is recovering and was released from the hospital Monday night.
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“He’s going to be fine,” Nancy Cope told the Post. “He just needs to rest for a while.” Police found four suspects at a Southern California hospital, where one suffered a gunshot wound consistent with a shotgun blast, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. They said investigators also found stolen firearms in the BMW SUV, which had previously been reported stolen. Three suspects who are being held on $500,000 bail have been identified as Justin Johnson, 22, of Inglewood, California, Jamar Williams, 27, of Los Angeles, and Davon Broadus, 24, of Las Vegas. The main suspect, a 23-year-old man, remained in a critical but stable condition in hospital. His identity is being withheld pending his release and transfer to jail, sheriff’s officials said, according to the Post. “In this case, a legally armed member of our community prevented a violent crime and ensured his own safety while confronted by multiple armed suspects,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. “This investigation is active and ongoing and no additional information will be released at this time.” Officials said Cope had his shotgun ready when he saw the suspects walk up to the security cameras.
