Charges unlikely against man who shot robbers

[QuietDan]

Ocala, Marion County, Florida --

Complete with feel-good video!

Apparently, a .380 is a real gun.

*************************************************************

Charges unlikely against man who shot robbers

By Carlos E. Medina

Correspondent

Published: Monday, July 16, 2012 at 1:32 p.m.

The Internet cafe patron who shot and injured two men as they tried to rob the business will likely not face any criminal charges.

“Based on what I have seen and what I know at this time, I don’t anticipate filing any charges,†said Bill Gladson of the State Attorney’s Office.

Gladson said he has reviewed the security surveillance video from the cafe. While he still awaits final reports from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, he said the shooting appeared justified.

Samuel Williams, 71, who fired the shots, has a concealed weapons permit, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Under Florida law, a person is allowed to use deadly force if he or she fears death or serious injury to themselves or others. As long as the person isn’t committing a crime and is in a place where he or she has a right to be, they are considered to be acting within the law.

Williams, who lives in Ocala, could not be reached for comment on Monday. But at least one of his 30 fellow patrons at the cafe wants to thank him.

“I think he is wonderful. If he wouldn’t have been there, there could have been some innocent people shot,†said Mary Beach.

Beach was sitting in with her back to the door Friday night and didn’t realize what was happening until she heard shots.

“I heard pop, pop; then pop, pop, pop, all at once,†she said. “In the confusion I never really got to see his (Williams) face.â€

Surveillance video of the incident was released on Monday by the Sheriff’s Office. It shows two masked men entering the Palms Internet Cafe, 8444 SW State Road 200, just before 10 p.m. Friday. One of the men had a gun.

Williams was seated toward the back of the cafe dressed in a white shirt, shorts and baseball cap.

One of the masked men, identified as Duwayne Henderson, 19, comes in pointing a handgun at customers. The second man, Davis Dawkins, 19, is seen swinging a bat at something off screen, which was later identified as a $1,200 computer screen.

As Henderson turns his back, Williams pulls out a .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun, stands from his chair, takes two steps, nearly drops to one knee, and fires two shots at Henderson, who bolts for the front door.

Williams takes several more steps toward the door and continues firing as Henderson and Dawkins fall over one another trying to exit the building. The two eventually run off screen.

Both men were shot by Williams. Their wounds were not life-threatening. Each was arrested hours later and charged with attempted armed robbery with a firearm and felony criminal mischief.

Henderson remained in the Marion County Jail late Monday in lieu of a $31,000 bond. Dawkins was released Sunday after posting an $11,000 bond.

Internet cafes are regulated by the state. They offer sweepstakes entries, which are used to buy time on computer terminals that simulate casino-style games. The operations, which have sprung up around the county and the state, are known to deal in cash.

http://www.ocala.com...?p=all&tc=pgall

Edited July 17, 2012 by QuietDan

[DaveS]

+ 1 for the Good Guy!

[gjohnsoniv]

Bravo good citizen!

[MattCary]

First, he's damn lucky they aren't filing charges, the way he chased them out shooting. These are the same people that are prosecuting GZ for 2nd degree.

Second. Bwahahahahahaha at the two fools running over each other trying to get the hell out of there. Priceless.

[dats82]

That video is pretty dang funny. Good job, sir!

[gjohnsoniv]

First, he's damn lucky they aren't filing charges, the way he chased them out shooting. These are the same people that are prosecuting GZ for 2nd degree.

Hard to prove that they are innocent, harmless, misguided kids when they come in with guns up.

[VERO1]

They probably needed that money to begin turning their lives around.

[Mark@Sea]

A larger caliber would'a made good citizens out of 'em for about 60 cents.

[TMF]

First, he's damn lucky they aren't filing charges, the way he chased them out shooting. These are the same people that are prosecuting GZ for 2nd degree.

I don't care if they're running away or not. If there is still a gun in their hands they are getting rounds in them until they surrender or it is clear that they don't have a weapon. I've seen plenty of surveillance footage of criminals shooting back whilst running away. As far as I'm concerned, they are a threat until they are subdued or have surrendered.

Florida isn't the way some of you think in regards to self defense. The Zimmerman case hardly speaks to the whole of the State, and once again, you are assuming that you have the totality of the evidence to know that Zimmerman shouldn't be charged.

Floridians shoot bad guys all the time without incident.

[mikegideon]

I agree with Mark@sea. Duwayne and Davis needed some 230 grain medicine.

[LI0NSFAN]

Awsome video!!!!!!

[1gewehr]

Sure looks like a KelTec P3AT or the Ruger or Taurus clone. With only a max of 6+1, he was about dry when they ran out the door. I wonder if he had a spare mag?

Still, if it had been a 9mm or .45, I wonder if the good people of Florida could have been saved many thousands of dollars in jail and court expenses these two idiots will now cost?

The old fellow did a good job of picking his shots. I didn't see any where he didn't have a clear shot without any other folks downrange.

[Dennis1209]

Henderson remained in the Marion County Jail late Monday in lieu of a $31,000 bond. Dawkins was released Sunday after posting an $11,000 bond.

Humm! Has the money to post bond? Wonder where that came from?

[SithL0rd]

why was that one woman getting in his way! shes covering her ears.... everyone else is just standing around! if theres gunfire I'm dropping to the ground.

[Links2k]

D*ck wads! The old guy did a good job. Only problem is that they will live to probably do it again when a judge lets them out of jail after only serving 3 months.

Edited July 17, 2012 by LINKS2K

[Guest TankerHC]

Ill bet a dollar to a donut of anyone here, that we will be hearing about them filing a Civil Suit against the shooter.

[MattCary]

I wasn't criticizing his shoot at all, nor disparaging Florida. Just that, if someone had wanted to, they could have said the two were "retreating" and he was "pursuing" while shooting. The last shot out the door into the street also had some pucker factor associated with it.

I was laughing my butt off the whole video, the Keystone Punks routine was great.

[DaveS]

Ill bet a dollar to a donut of anyone here, that we will be hearing about them filing a Civil Suit against the shooter.

Probably! I hope he shot them right in the a**!

[Dennis1209]

Watching the patrons and their reactions (not the GG) I'll bet my whitey tighties other than the faint smell of gun powder, there's an overwhelming stench of soiled undies!

[DaveS]

He must not have hit them too bad....they just about went straight to jail. Maybe the scum bags learned something!

[Guest President Fernatt]

More details with wound locations, robber interviews, etc. -sorry for odd format; it's copy and paste

Two men who attempted to hold up an Internet cafe were shot and

injured by a patron of the business Friday night, according to the

Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's officials said

they got a call at 9:54 p.m. about an armed robbery at Palms Internet

Cafe, 8444 SW State Road 200. When deputies arrived at the scene,

patrons outside the business told them that two men in masks — one armed

with a baseball bat and the other with a handgun — had barged into the

business. The robbers told the approximately 30 patrons to get on the

floor, and they demanded money.Officials

said one of the patrons, Samuel Williams, drew his own handgun and shot

at the robbers, according to sheriff's officials.Both robbers began

running toward the front door, and the patron fired several more shots

as they fled.

The two men got into a car parked nearby and fled.

Not

long afterward, deputies got a call about two men at a Marion Oaks

residence who were telling people there that they had been shot while at

Scott Carrigan Baseball Park on Southeast 17th Street in Ocala. Police

Department officers went to the ball field but found no evidence of a

shooting there, according to sheriff's officials.The

two men were transported — one by helicopter — to Shands at the

University of Florida in Gainesville. The Sheriff's Office identified

them as Davis G. Dawkins and Duwayne Henderson, both 19. Dawkins has a

Dunnellon address. His alleged accomplice has an Ocala address,

officials

said.Dawkins had a superficial wound in his left arm, but Henderson was

shot in two places: his left buttock and his right hip

Locally, neither of the men have a criminal record, authorities said.

“I

feel horrible. It doesn't feel good. It makes you think about life's

decisions, and how you should live your life,†Henderson said in an

interview with the Star-Banner at the jail on Saturday afternoon.Hours

after his release from the hospital, Henderson, who talked about the

pain he feels in his buttock and hip, said the plan was to “barge in,

get the money and leave.†He said “he never expected anyone to be

armed.â€â€œThe gun was broken and rusty and wasn't loaded. Nobody was going to get hurt,†he said, standing with crutches.

Retrieving

the customers' phones was what he said was their “main priority.†That

way, he said, the customers could not call law enforcement officials.Henderson

theorizes the reason why he was caught off guard is because, when

Dawkins entered the business, he busted a computer monitor with the

baseball bat and “glass got into his face.â€â€œHe couldn't warn me,†Henderson said.

With

the glass temporarily blinding his friend, Henderson noticed two women

were behind the counter and he thought that was “fishy.†Turning around

to see what the women were doing, Henderson said he was shot.“I

turned around to run and my leg gave out. That was when I got shot. I

hit the ground, and he was still shooting. I thought I was going to

die,†Henderson said.Henderson said that, “by the grace of God,†his “leg came back.â€

“I ran,†he said.

Henderson said he and Dawkins drove to a house to see a woman he said “is like a second mother†to him

At the Marion Oaks residence

in the 13000 block of Southwest 47th Terrace, deputies found what they

believe was the getaway vehicle, a four-door black Nissan Sentra. The

car was towed to the Sheriff's Office for processing.“I

couldn't breathe. I had lost so much blood. I don't know what she did,

but she revived me,†he said, likening the experience to coming back

from the dead.The occupants inside the home called law enforcement, he said.

At

the scene in Marion Oaks, a deputy and an evidence technician searched a

large open grassy area across the street for evidence, which was

collected and placed in brown paper bags.None of the residents or visitors there wanted to talk with a Star-Banner reporter.

At

the Internet cafe, investigators collected a .45-caliber handgun they

believe

was carried by Henderson, which he confirmed in his interview.Henderson

was charged with attempted robbery with a firearm and felony criminal

mischief.

Interviewed

at the hospital, Dawkins admitted to Detective Erik Dice that he took

part in the robbery, according to sheriff's officials. The young man

said he had the bat, which had been in his vehicle. Dawkins told the

detective he was confronted by two people at the ball field and forced

to assist in the robbery.Officials said Dawkins previously had worked for the cafe but had been fired.

He

was arrested for attempted robbery with a firearm and felony criminal

mischief and taken to the Marion County Jail. He declined to be

interviewed by a reporter.Henderson

said he met Dawkins through a mutual friend about four or five months

ago, and that he usually hangs out at Dawkins' Dunnellon residence.Because

Dawkins used to work at the cafe, Henderson said Dawkins told him there

was “a lot of money there.†Both of them, he said, gathered the gun and

bat for the robbery attempt.He said he went to Dawkins' place around 8 p.m. Friday night, where the plan was hatched.

Their actions frightened the customers at the Internet cafe.

“It was scary,†said Kristy Kuhn, a customer. “It wasn't my idea of a good Friday night.â€

She

said she had been sitting in the second row playing a game and heard

loud noises and voices yelling, telling them to “put our wallets out and

get on the ground,†Kuhn said.A few seconds after that, she heard gunshots. Kuhn said she hid underneath a desk.

Ruth and Neville Allison, also patrons of the Internet cafe, said they saw the incident unfold.

They

said the robbers — one with a gun and the other with what looked like a

bat wrapped in white tape — entered from the parking lot.The

robber with the bat smashed one of the computers, the couple said. Then

the robbers ordered everybody to get down on the ground and take out

their wallets and whatever valuables they had.Williams

— who declined to be interviewed — was sitting in the row nearest the

door. He immediately took out his handgun, took aim and started firing,

witnesses said.Neville

Allison said the two robbers then tumbled out the door. The robber with

the gun may have dropped his weapon, he said. Williams told Dice he was

at the Internet cafe with his wife and was afraid the suspects were

going to shoot somebody. He told the detective he was scared and that he

began shooting at the men.Early

Saturday morning, the business and its parking lot had been roped off

with crime scene tape. Numbered evidence markers were outside next to

sunglasses,

a plastic bag and a blue bag.Also outside the Internet cafe and in

front of neighboring businesses were numerous smaller markers to

indicate drops of blood.

Inside

the Internet cafe, a chair had been knocked over and a few more of the

larger markers could be seen. The manager of the cafe declined to

comment.Though Henderson said he

doesn't blame Williams for shooting, he takes exception with Williams

shooting at him while he was down.“I was down, and I'm not going to continue to shoot you,†he said.

UPDATE. The Internet cafe patron who shot and injured two men as they tried to

rob the business will likely not face any criminal charges.“Based on what I have seen and what I know at this time, I don’t

anticipate filing any charges,†said Bill Gladson of the State

Attorney’s Office.Gladson said he has reviewed the security surveillance video from the

cafe. While he still awaits final reports from the Marion County

Sheriff’s Office, he said the shooting appeared justified.Samuel Williams, 71, who

fired the shots, has a concealed weapons permit, according to the

Sheriff’s Office. Under Florida law, a person is allowed to use deadly

force if he or she fears death or serious injury to themselves or

others. As long as the person isn’t committing a crime and is in a place

where he or she has a right to be, they are considered to be acting

within the law.Williams,

who lives in Ocala, could not be reached for comment on Monday. But at

least

one of his 30 fellow patrons at the cafe wants to thank him.“I think he

is wonderful. If he wouldn’t have been there, there could have been

some innocent people shot,†said Mary Beach.

Beach was sitting in with her back to the door Friday night and didn’t realize what was happening until she heard shots.

“I heard pop, pop; then pop, pop, pop, all at once,†she said. “In the confusion I never really got to see his (Williams) face.â€

Surveillance

video of the incident was released on Monday by the Sheriff’s Office.

It shows two masked men entering the Palms Internet Cafe, 8444 SW State

Road

200, just before 10 p.m. Friday. One of the men had a gun.Williams was

seated toward the back of the cafe dressed in a white shirt, shorts and

baseball cap.

One

of the masked men, identified as Duwayne Henderson, 19, comes in

pointing a handgun at customers. The second man, Davis Dawkins, 19, is

seen swinging a bat at something off screen, which was later identified

as a $1,200 computer screen.As

Henderson turns his back, Williams pulls out a .380-caliber

semi-automatic handgun, stands from his chair, takes two steps, nearly

drops to one knee, and fires two shots at Henderson, who bolts for the

front door.Williams takes

several more steps toward the door and continues firing as Henderson

and Dawkins fall over one another trying to exit the building. The two

eventually run off screen.Both

men were shot by Williams. Their wounds were not life-threatening. Each

was arrested hours later and charged with attempted armed robbery with a

firearm and felony criminal mischief.Henderson

remained in the Marion County Jail late Monday in lieu of a $31,000

bond. Dawkins was released Sunday after posting an $11,000 bond.Internet

cafes are regulated by the state. They offer sweepstakes entries, which

are used to buy time on computer terminals that simulate casino-style

games. The operations, which have sprung up around the county

[DaveS]

I hope it all works out well for this gentleman! He very well may have saved someones life. Someone already mentioned it, but I think Cuz that got shot in the a** may bring a suit....oh well, take two aspirin, sit down and call the Doctor in the morning home dawg!

Dave

Phone number changed due to POLITICAL adds!