Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
AUBURN, Wash. — An attempted armed robbery suspect was shot dead late Monday night by a store clerk in Auburn, and people in the neighborhood say they have seen a surge in crime in the downtown area where the fatal shooting happened.
The clerk who pulled the trigger told KOMO News Tuesday that he is still processing the shooting, that it happened quickly and he’s thinking of the 19-year-old man who was killed along with his family.
Police were in the early stages of their investigation while workers at the convenience store were also trying to pick up the pieces.
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 90%
Auburn gas station clerk fatally shoots alleged armed robbery suspect, police say (KOMO News)
Police were called shortly before 12:30 a.m. to the Shell station located at 201 Auburn Way S. for a report of a shooting and robbery attempt, a department spokesperson said.
When police arrived they found the body of man who had been shot at least one, according to police. The man, who was not identified, was pronounced dead at the scene.
It was not immediately clear if the suspect brandished a weapon before he was shot.
Auburn gas station clerk fatally shoots alleged armed robbery suspect, police say (KOMO News)
Crews on Tuesday replaced the convenience store's front door and the register plexiglass that was struck by bullets overnight.
Investigators worked Tuesday to piece together what happened during the incident.
“We don’t know if this person who was shot and killed acted alone or had help,” police spokesperson Kolby Crossley said.
The store and police declined to provide the surveillance video from the incident, and officers say it's too soon to know if the clerk is facing charges.
“We’ll gather all this information and then we’ll ship it off to the prosecutor’s office," Crossley said. "And then that’s a decision they will look into themselves."
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 90%
Police investigators swarmed the site after the fatal shooting at the gas station.{p}{/p}
A construction worker for a project next door said the store is in a dangerous area because of criminal activity next to the nearby grocery store.
“There’s drug use rampant over by Safeway,” Kevin Olsen said. “They steal converters (and) there’s fights out there daily. It’s terrible.”
He's not surprised the clerk took matters into his own hands and says he and his co-workers feel like they're left to fend for themselves.
“I think it’s a good thing he defended himself. I mean, the cops can’t do anything,” Olsen said. People "smoke their crack right by (police) and ride their bicycles right by. Eventually the citizens have to do something about it.”
Officers say they're working to prevent these crimes with their designated patrol areas, including a community response team focused on downtown.
“People are willing to do crazy thigs and it doesn’t really matter where it is or why they’re doing it," Crossley said. "That’s why we’re here."
This shooting was part of a violent weekend for the city.
Police responded to a drive-by shooting a couple days ago and another homicide last night, raising Auburn's homicide toll to nine for the year, with eight involving firearms.