A violent attempted robbery at a convenience store Sunday left one dead and another critically wounded after the store owner shot both men, police said.
Police identified the dead man as Sheldon S. Hope, 21, of Hickory Lane in Hermitage.
The incident occurred Sunday evening at Smoke Depot of Nashville, 563 Stewarts Ferry Pike, when two men entered the store asking for cigarettes, kept behind the counter.
Metro police gave this account of the incident:
When the store owner turned around after retrieving the cigarettes, one of the men drew a gun and demanded money. The second man, who also was armed, came behind the counter next to the owner.
As the owner began to open the cash drawer, the man across the counter grabbed the owner and began to pistol-whip him on the head but dropped his gun.
As the owner fell to the floor, the man behind the counter began to kick him. The owner grabbed the handgun and fired into the air, causing the man behind the counter to move.
The men tried to flee as the owner got up and fired several shots, hitting both as they left the store. The man later identified as Hope was killed, while the other man, 28, was sent to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he is listed in critical condition with several life-threatening injuries.
Both men were carrying identification cards from the Caribbean island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, said Metro police spokesman Don Aaron. The surviving man was carrying a card identifying him as a security guard from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Police did not release the second man's name, pending family notification.
The owner, 40, was treated for head lacerations at Summit Medical Center. Police did not release his name. The owner is not expected to face charges.
"This was a man fighting for his life," Aaron said of the owner. "This was not a citizen taking matters into his own hands — this was a citizen defending himself."
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