https://kdvr.com/2019/04/08/ga...lvers-investigation/

Gas station clerk fired for shooting armed robber: Problem Solvers Investigation

POSTED 4:17 PM, APRIL 8, 2019, BY ROB LOW, UPDATED AT 06:39PM, APRIL 8, 2019

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- A 57-year-old gas station clerk who shot a would-be robber has been fired.

The attempted robbery happened at 4:25 a.m. on Sat., March 23 at the Shell Gas station at the corner of East Arapahoe Road and University Boulevard in Centennial, across from the Streets at SouthGlenn shopping area.

Law enforcement sources tell the Problem Solvers surveillance video shows a 14-year-old suspect sticking a gun in the face of the clerk. Moments later the clerk, who has a conceal carry permit, took out his own gun and fired once, hitting the suspect in his stomach.

"He's (the clerk) probably glad that he was able to protect himself and I don't know he would go back and do it another way," said John Campbell, a law professor at the University of Denver.

But Campbell adds Suncor, the company that owns the Shell gas station and convenience store, had every right to fire the employee. "Although this may have played out in a way that was self-defense, they (Suncor) may view it as a bad idea to have employees generally armed because the next person might misread a situation and shoot a customer," he said.

A spokeswoman for Suncor emailed FOX31 a statement that reads, "Suncor’s agreement with its independent operators prohibits the carrying or possession of firearms on the property, regardless of whether the firearm is permitted. We are unable to provide additional information, as this is an employment matter between the operator and its employee."

The Problem Solvers have learned prosecutors with the 18th Judicial District in Arapahoe County have charged the teenage boy with five counts including Attempted Aggravated Robbery with Intent to Kill or Maim his victim. The clerk, who FOX31 has agreed not to name, tells us he had worked at the convenience store for 18 years and is very upset to lose his job.

"We might have a situation in which this worked out in a way that he (the clerk) would say 'well I'm alive' and Shell says 'Yes, you are, but we can't sort of begin to allow this sort breach of our policy,' so I'm not sure there's a moral right in this," said Campbell.

The criminal case against the 14-year-old boy, who did not fire his weapon, is suppressed because it's in juvenile court so the suspect's name and even his next court appearance are not public record.

FOX31 has learned there are no plans to charge the clerk because surveillance video shows he acted in self-defense.

A help-wanted sign hangs from the front door of the convenience store.

And the stupid continues to grow and spread in coloradostan.

I'm sure the employee would rather be alive and unemployed, rather than merely having Suncor send a tasteful bouquet to their funeral in honor of them being such an upstanding employee.

Hopefully they're able to land on their feet, with an even better job.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
AMEN!! EXACTLY what I was thinking! Better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6. Freakin' Commie land...

This would be where a Go Fund Me page would actually serve a REAL purpose.

I'm sure the guy will get a new job quickly. The store owners in general can only state "Yes, he worked here until his last day."

They are on shaky legal ground if they trash this guy to a prospective employer.

quote:

may view it as a bad idea to have employees generally armed because the next person might misread a situation and shoot a customer

quote:

Law enforcement sources tell the Problem Solvers surveillance video shows a 14-year-old suspect sticking a gun in the face of the clerk

How the fuck does anyone misread that?

This clerk won't stay unemployed for very long.

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
A help-wanted sign hangs from the front door of the convenience store.

That sign's gonna be there for a while if this story gets around.

"Hey, how come you guys is hiring?"

"Cuz the last guy almost got his head blown off, he did what he had to to keep from getting dead and we fired him for it. So, you when can you start?"

the stupid is strong in Denver

must be the lack of oxygen

quote:

Originally posted by LDD:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
A help-wanted sign hangs from the front door of the convenience store.

That sign's gonna be there for a while if this story gets around.

"Hey, how come you guys is hiring?"

"Cuz the last guy almost got his head blown off, he did what he had to to keep from getting dead and we fired him for it. So, you when can you start?"

That's funny. I ALWAYS ask what happened to the previous person who held the position when I apply for a job. Always. Once I was told, "He moved on and got a better job."

This isn't a Denver thing. Any large company anywhere in the country is going to do this. If the clerk has a bad shooting as an employee of theirs, they'll be held liable in civil court, possibly for millions. If the clerk is shot in a hold up, it's not their responsibility.

What I find interesting is that Suncor doesn't own the station, but they impose this on the franchisees. I guess their afraid that since their brand is on the station a lawyer can argue they're responsible even if they don't have direct ownership.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
the stupid is strong in Denver

must be the lack of oxygen

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
What I find interesting is that Suncor doesn't own the station, but they impose this on the franchisees.

They do own the station though.
From the article.

quote:

But Campbell adds Suncor, the company that owns the Shell gas station and convenience store, had every right to fire the employee.

Also from the article, Suncor spokeswoman says it's an independent operator:

"A spokeswoman for Suncor emailed FOX31 a statement that reads, "Suncor’s agreement with its independent operators prohibits the carrying or possession of firearms on the property, regardless of whether the firearm is permitted. We are unable to provide additional information, as this is an employment matter between the operator and its employee.""

Clear reporting, no ambiguity at all.

• Suncor . . . owns the . . . convenience store.
  
  
• independent operator

Which is it? You can't have it both ways.

I really f’n hate corporate entities that don’t allow their working peons to defend themselves.

While the high level execs & HR nabobs are home behind a privacy fence or in some high rise corporate building (with security) completely insulated from any dangerous person in the general public, they force their employees to be unarmed, helpless victims just waiting to get robbed +/- shot.

Lousy writing in the reporting. The journalist is confused about the business model.

It's a franchise agreement. For a gas station is probably somewhere around a quarter million not to mention branding costs. They may be buying the employee a beer and still have to fire him rather than risking their corporate agreement with Suncor.

It's not Colorado
It's not the independent franchisee business or the owner
It's a corporate lawyer for a $30 billion a year company with a liability policy to enforce

quote:

Originally posted by LDD:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund:
A help-wanted sign hangs from the front door of the convenience store.

That sign's gonna be there for a while if this story gets around.

"Hey, how come you guys is hiring?"

"Cuz the last guy almost got his head blown off, he did what he had to to keep from getting dead and we fired him for it. So, you when can you start?"

Sheesh. Reminds me of when I got a part-time job at a Radio Shack in the early '80s. I did not know it at the time, but I was replacing a very pretty lady who was transferring from this particular radio shack, to one inside a shopping mall a few miles away. This radio shack was in a bad part of town. After I was hired, I was told she transferred because there was an armed robbery and she had someone sticking a firearm in her face. She was quite scared to continue working there, so she transferred to a radio shack in a shopping mall, where she figured it would be safer.

Me, being a University student at the time and feeling invincible, didn't worry about this a bit. After about 8 months I quit the radio shack job and took a job on campus. Then I learned that my replacement at that radio shack died a few weeks after starting, when his leg got blown off by a sawed-off shotgun point blank.

I guess I dodged a bullet, literally, on that one.

Fired > Dead...

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
the stupid is strong in Denver

must be the lack of oxygen

Even dumber, Suncor is Canadian where hoplpophobia is endemic

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
Clear reporting, no ambiguity at all.

• Suncor . . . owns the . . . convenience store.
  
  
• independent operator

Which is it? You can't have it both ways.

Neither. I’ll bet you a $100 it’s a franchise agreement.

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
This isn't a Denver thing.

Of course it isn’t. Good grief!

I am no fan of what has been happening to Colorado, and especially Denver, for decades, but anyone who believes this sort of thing occurs only here is not paying attention. We read about similar stories here all the time. If anything, the reason we don’t hear about it even more is because other places where the crimes are more common make it much harder for people like store clerks to be legally armed. At least Colorado still has a “shall issue” CHP law, and despite what some people believe, it applies everywhere in the state, including Denver.