HIGHLAND PARK, MICHIGAN — It was late at night, after 1am, and the restaurant was shutting down for the evening. A few patrons remained, along with one waitress and one bartender. That’s when someone came into the restaurant with a gun and attempted to rob the place. That robber never made it out alive.

The incident happened at the Woodward Bistro on Woodward near Davison. The man came inside the restaurant with the intent to rob the place, according to police.



A CPL holder inside the business at the time opened fire, killing the suspect. Police say the CPL holder was the business owner. Via WXYZ Detroit

The robber had come in just at the right time as the owner, waitress, and bartender were tallying up the cash for the night in the managers office. After getting the cash from the owner, the robber turned his attention to the bartender. This is when the owner took the opportunity to draw his weapon and fire.

The owner managed to shoot and kill the robber, but he also accidently shot his bartender as well. Fortunately, the bartender’s wounds were not life threatening and was later released from the hospital. The owner does have a CPL and legally owned the firearm.

No files have been charged against the owner, but police say the investigation is ongoing. They want to be sure that this was in fact a self-defense shooting. Unless something in the story changes, it seems like a cut and dry case of self-defense. Not only was the owner protecting his life and his business, but also the lives of his workers and patrons still in the restaurant.

Now that word is out that this restaurant owner carries, I don’t foresee too many future robbery attempts. We do hope, however, that the owner considers additional firearm training so should this happen again, his chances of hitting a bystander will be diminished.