VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — A 7-Eleven cutomer who shot two robbery suspects — killing one of them — in Virginia Beach will not be facing any charges.
The double shooting happened at store on Newtown Road on July 25 — and ended an armed robberies spree that involved three suspects and several convenience stores across Southside Hampton Roads.
Virginia Beach police said two suspects entered the Newtown Road store and tried to robthe clerks at gunpoint.
A customer inside the store, who was legally carrying a gun, shot both suspects. One of the suspects, 18-year-old Michael Moore, died at the scene and the other was transported to a local hospital.
An officer found a third suspect near the 7-Eleven and took him into custody, police said.
A spokesperson for Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney Colin Stolle confirmed to 10 On Your Side the customer will not be charged.
Another customer who was also in the store that day, Barrie Engel, started a Facebook fundraiser for the fellow customer whom she has described to as a “hero.”
“I saw the gentleman put the gun back in his holster and I was like, ‘you shot the robbers,” Engel told 10 On Your Side in an interview this week.
Police said it is believed the three people involved in the Newtown Road incident carried out a second armed robbery in Virginia Beach as well as others across the region.
Police in Norfolk and Virginia Beach charged 19-year-old Deric Breon Simons, of Chesapeake, and 18-year-old Ronald Lee Brookins Jr., of Suffolk, with multiple counts each in connection to recent armed robberies.
Suffolk police later charged Simons with a dozen counts in connection to four robberies in the city since April 15.
Simons and Brookins are being held at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center without bond.
