80-Year-Old Liquor Store Owner Stands Ground, Shoots Rifle-Wielding Robber

An 80-year-old liquor store owner in California is being praised after he stood his ground Sunday and blasted a rifle-wielding man with a shotgun after the man attempted to rob him.

The incident occurred around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, and the owner, Craig Cope, was prepared {snip}

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Footage of the incident has gone viral and shows Cope confronting the masked man, who burst into the liquor store with his rifle ready.

Shotgun in hand, Cope shot the intruder in the arm, according to the footage.

A rifle-toting robber is no match for a shotgun-wielding #Norco liquor store owner. Eyewitness News with the bungling getaway, and an update on the liquor store owner who suffered a heart attack after the attempted heist. Tonight at 11 from ABC7. https://t.co/bwrPzH6BHE pic.twitter.com/3j14lfGTcb

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) August 2, 2022

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Several other suspects were outside with the vehicle, and they appeared panicked when the wounded would-be robber ran outside.

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While the suspect who was wounded by Cope remains unidentified in the hospital, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department has named Justin Johnson, 22, of Inglewood; Jamar Williams, 27, of Los Angeles; and Davon Broadus, 24, of Las Vegas, as being held on bail of $500,000.

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