Police: Witness follows man who stole beer, kills him

TUCSON, Ariz. — A witness who saw a man steal two cases of beer followed him out of a convenience store and shot him to death after the thief charged at him with a log, according to authorities in southern Arizona.

Police in Tucson are investigating, and prosecutors will determine whether to charge the shooter, a man who has not been identified, Sgt. Kimberly Bay said.

The incident unfolded Sunday afternoon, when Gerald Ramon, 46, was spotted stealing beer from the store and several witnesses followed him out to a nearby parking lot, police say. That's when Ramon picked up a large log, held it over his shoulder and moved toward the man who shot him, police say.

"Ideally, we would like people to just be a good witness and call 911. If you see something happening, just call and give the best description you can," Bay said. "But everybody makes a decision that feels right for them."

The man has not been charged and may have been acting in self-defense, police said. He remained at the scene and cooperated with police.

Detectives are still interviewing witnesses and gathering evidence, Bay said.

"Every case is different, that's why it's really hard to say," she said.