The Dixie Gun & Pawn shop in Mapleton, GA has been robbed several times, but not until last month had the burglars come during store hours. For good reason. Of course, the employees of a gun shop are naturally in proximity to lots of guns. And one would think that they know how to use them. Those thoughts apparently never crossed the mind of two robbers who entered Dixie Gun & Pawn in broad daylight on Dec. 26. Within seconds, one of them was shot and killed by store owner Jimmy Groover.
The whole scene was caught on camera. First one can see another employee enter the scene with his hands up, and then one can see the two armed robbers. Just as the would-be thieves were making their presence known -- telling the employees to get on the ground -- Groover whipped out his handgun, which was already on his person, and began firing off rounds. With his first shot, Groover hits and kills one of the robbers with a bullet that soared through the glass cabinet holding his store's guns.
WARNING: Graphic footage
"I had no other choice," Groover told WXIA News. "I hate that it happened."
After his partner fell, the other burglar fled the store, and he reportedly remains at large. Police doubt that Groover will face any charges, seeing that he acted in self-defense. As reported by WXIA, an attempted after-hours break-in had occurred a week before the deadly shootout.