Albuquerque, New Mexico — A store owner in Albuquerque, New Mexico, shot and killed a would-be burglar who had allegedly dug a tunnel through the wall of his smoke shop over the weekend. The incident occurred in the International District, and the identity of the shop owner has not been disclosed yet.
The shop owner claimed that he was sleeping in his smoke shop when he was awoken at about 3 a.m. by a scratching sound in the wall. An hour later, the intruder burst through the wall wielding a large hammer and what looked like an ax. The shop owner claims he grabbed his gun and told the man to get out, but the intruder came towards him. The owner then opened fire and called the police. The trespasser was dead when first responders arrived, and the incident is being investigated as a justifiable homicide.
This wasn’t the first break-in attempt at the store, as the shop owners said they had seen two other attempts before. In fact, the owners had already boarded up a hole in the wall that was created by a previous attempt. However, the intruder had dug a new hole that was just big enough for a man to crawl through, and it was through this hole that he entered the smoke shop.
In the video above, you can see the shop owners invited local news network KOB 4 inside to show the bizarre way the alleged burglar broke into their store. The shop owner had started sleeping at the store after the first break-in attempt, and he says he was woken up around 3 a.m. by an odd scratching sound coming from the side wall. Little did he know, a man had been tunneling his way through the wall, and about an hour later, the man broke through.
The incident once more highlights the growing need across the USA for law-abiding business owners to defend themselves with firearms and protect their merchandise and livelihood.
The shop owner claimed that he acted in self-defense and was glad that the police classified the incident as a justifiable homicide. The owners have boarded up the second hole and will be installing more security cameras soon.
The Albuquerque Police Department is continuing to investigate the incident, and detectives are working with the District Attorney’s Office. The incident highlights the importance of taking measures to secure one’s business and protect against potential intruders, as well as the need for individuals to be prepared to defend themselves in dangerous situations with lethal force if necessary.
Once again tax dollars saved. In situations such as this. The store owner/victim, should get a sizeable % of the $$$ that would have been otherwise wasted on a trial and keeping the perp locked up.
Not that long ago this business would have been called a “head shop.” Smoke shops sold cigars, pipe tobacco and other necessary accoutrements to facilitate tobacco smoking. Head shops sold bongs, pipes and necessary elements required to smoke the devil’s lettuce. Nonetheless, this is a legal business, and the owner was defending both the business and himself. From the video, it appears the owner did a “spray and pray” action to take out the bad guy. Window and boxes showed signs of bullet penetration. Fortunately, so did the perp. Maybe a little more range time would have helped. Still, the… Read more »
Those two talking heads are perfect examples of the feminization and the metro-sexualization of the western American male. Both would piss themselves if ever faced with a situation like the shop owner. The first one, a Governor Nephew look alike, I thought was going to shed a tear because the cops didn’t arrest the store owner. The second one was a bit more restrained but even he acted astonished that the shop owner wasn’t arrested. I so despise the MSM!!! Once you learn to understand what they are really doing, you cannot miss the agendas/gaslighting/lying even in the most subtle… Read more »
Oops! Don’t do the crime if you can accept the consequences.
Hey man, nice shot!
—Filter
WOW didn’t know they had smoke shops in 1985, or whenever this undated incident happened.
NOT trying to sound like debbie downer by any means but this incident did occur in New Mexico where the persecutors oops prosecutors have not exactly been the most gun friendly. Remember how many of the Fast and Furious guns originated there.
It would not surprise me in the least if he was charged with laying in wait which ‘might’ lead to premeditation charges.
The recently ‘decided’ case against Sgt. Perry in Austin was deemed to be self defense by the police but that didn’t stop him from being charged and ‘convicted’.
Makes sense to know to what extent your liability is when discharging a weapon in self-defense. Most folks know that shooting a perp can cost $$ if a judgement goes against someone. Stay safe but know your liability. I hate to hear about gun owners going to prison for an incident that liberal prosecutors bring charges protecting the perp vs whomever that had to defend themselves. And the legal costs? Let me remind you. It’ll cost you. I don’t have gun owner’s insurance But I’m thinking about it. No link. Not an ad. But get protected. Stay out of jail.… Read more »