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Store owner shoots two armed
robbers Originally ran here
as: Special Note: We heartily praise
both the Dispatch and Mr. Narciso for excellent reporting, indeed.
Of the dozens of customers buying snacks, beer
or lottery tickets yesterday morning at the Walford Market, not one criticized
Clive Weidle for defending his business the night before with a 9 mm handgun. "I absolutely support Clive in what he
did,'' said Carol Reed, 55, who lives near the store. "Clive will do
anything in the world for you. He's the nicest man.''
"My hero!'' another customer shouted as he
came into the store at 3981 Walford St., about a half-mile south of Morse Road
and west of Cleveland Avenue. "They ain't gonna do this again any time
soon.''
The customers praised Weidle for shooting two
men who he said had tried to rob him. It was the second such robbery in a week
at his Clinton Township business. Both occurred at about 8:30 p.m. on
Wednesdays.
"When they walked in this time, I was
almost certain it was the same two guys,'' Weidle said. "I felt my life was
in danger.''
Police were not releasing details about the
shooting or commenting on Weidle's action, saying the investigation was
continuing. No one had been charged by yesterday afternoon.
Michael Thomas, 20, was listed in fair
condition at Riverside Methodist Hospitals with a gunshot wound to the right
arm. Eric Liddell, 23, was shot in the chest and was in fair condition at Grant
Medical Center. Neither man could be reached yesterday for comment.
"We're looking at these guys for maybe
some other robberies,'' said Chief Deputy Steve Martin of the Franklin County
Sheriff's Office.
Weidle said two men, one masked and carrying a
handgun, stormed into the business Wednesday night and ordered customers and a
part- time worker to lie on the floor.
"I have a button right here. I didn't even
have the presence to hit it,'' Weidle said of the store's alarm.
He did, however, reach for his gun.
"Why wait for him to shoot when I should
shoot?'' Weidle asked, standing behind the counter yesterday near the cash
register.
He said he fired several rounds at the men, who
turned and fled.
The remains of the confrontation were evident
yesterday.
Inside a glass display case hit by one of
Weidle's shots, shards of glass sprinkled a selection of ice-cream bars. Another
tore into the store's metal front door.
A shattered beer case might have taken a bullet
when one of the would-be robbers returned fire, Weidle said.
He said robbery of his store on Feb. 28 was one
reason he decided to use his gun Wednesday night. In the earlier robbery, two
masked men ambushed Weidle while he was in the store's restroom.
"They had a gun right to my head. What are
you going to do?'' he said. Weidle couldn't get to his gun.
"They cleaned me out,'' he said.
Detectives interviewed other robbery victims at
other stores yesterday looking for similarities.
The working-class neighborhood has had its
share of robberies recently, including a fatal shooting at another convenience
store, officials said.
On Dec. 7, Abdul Hemeed, a Pakistani immigrant,
was killed during a holdup at the Convenient Store Plus, 4197 Cleveland Ave.,
just a few blocks from Walford Market. Hemeed was not a store employee but was
helping a clerk stock shelves.
Walford Market was the scene of a fatal
shooting Aug. 14, 1995, when clerk Patricia Collins was killed during a robbery.
Gabriel Artis Jr. is serving a 17- to 50-year sentence and Rico Cooper a life
term for their roles in the robbery-murder.
Although he acknowledges the risk involved in
running the store, Weidle has no plans to quit.
"You try to do an honest job, 70-80 hours
a week, six days a week, and then this happens,'' he said. "This is
America. What are you gonna do?''
Weidle, 40, moved his wife and three children
from Calcutta, India, six years ago to escape the poverty of his homeland and to
sample American capitalism.
Prosperity and a growing family drew him to
Columbus.
"I like the job. This is all I know,'' he
said.
Dan Couts, one of his vendors, attributed
Weidle's success at the market to his competitive pricing and, more so, his
customer service.
"From a profit standpoint, the business
has probably increased tenfold since he's taken it over,'' said Couts, who was
arranging a cigarette display.
Now Weidle's on edge whenever someone comes in
the door.
"It's always like I'm tense. Who's walking
in the door, what are they going to do?'' he said. NOTICE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.
Section 107, this material is distributed, without profit, for research or
educational purposes. We do our best, as well, to give credit to the original
news source who published these Guns Save Lives stories out of respect and
appreciation for their willingness to spread the word that Guns Save Lives. God
Bless the Americans that publish these stories - for assisting Americans in
hearing the truth. |
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