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Dormont auto shop owner fatally shoots armed attackerDec 17, 2010 (The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- For the third time in a week, a victim fought back against an armed attacker and killed him, police said. The owner of an auto shop in Dormont fatally shot a robber Thursday morning, Allegheny County police said. Two gunmen died in earlier incidents in Munhall and Sharpsburg. "We have a right to defend ourselves and our property," said Larry Likar, a former FBI agent who teaches criminal justice at La Roche College. "Sometimes people feel they have no choice." A gunman walked into Bill's Auto Service on Limha Way behind West Liberty Avenue just after 11 a.m. yesterday and ordered owner Bill Miller and an auto parts delivery worker to drop to their knees inside the garage bay, assistant county police Superintendent James Morton said. The robber took the deliveryman's wallet. Miller drew a gun and shot the robber, Morton said. He could not say how Miller was able to obtain his weapon. He fired once, killing the robber, who was armed with a stun gun. "We're not sure if the gun was in his pocket or nearby and he managed to get to it, but he fought back," Morton said. Police would not identify the robber until next of kin have been notified. County homicide Lt. Andrew Schurman said the robber threatened the two, but he wouldn't disclose what was said. He did not say whether the men knew one another or why someone might target the business. "I'm sad that someone got hurt, but I'm so glad it wasn't Bill," said Cassie Gillen, owner of Cassandra's Florals on West Liberty Avenue. The auto garage is on an alley behind Gillen's shop, and she often sees Miller coming and going. "Thank God Bill had a gun, or we could be standing here talking about his death," she said. "He's the kind of guy who would protect his business and his life." On Dec. 10, a woman wrested a gun from a teenager who robbed her, and killed him on a dark street in Munhall, county police said. Dwain Heath Jr., 17, of Munhall died from a bullet wound to the chest about midnight after pointing a gun at the 20-year-old woman and demanding money, said police and prosecutors, who did not release her identity. She was walking to a store to buy cigarettes and handed Heath what little money she had, but he demanded more, the woman told police. They struggled for control of the gun, and she shot Heath once, police said. District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr.'s office will determine whether to file charges against the woman or rule the killing justified. In Sharpsburg on Wednesday, Norman Warren, 22, shot a man to death after he attacked him and his girlfriend, police said. Marlon Roberts, 22, was carrying a gun when he came to a home on Sisca Street and confronted his former girlfriend, who was there with Warren, county police said. Warren disarmed Roberts and shot him before fleeing, police said. Roberts died in Allegheny General Hospital, North Side. Police charged Warren with tampering with evidence and illegally carrying a firearm. Investigators said he hid the gun in bushes before leaving. In Dormont, waitress Popy Demertzis said Miller often stops by Tom's Diner for coffee and generally keeps to himself. "He's a good man. He doesn't bother anybody," Demertzis said. "It's very scary. You're just trying to make a living, and you have to worry about someone trying to kill you over money." To see more of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/. Copyright (c) 2010, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. |