Mayor: Customer justified in shooting bank robber 3 times

A bank customer in Warren acted within his rights when he opened fire on a bank robber on Monday afternoon, sending him to the hospital with non-critical injuries, according to the city’s mayor.

“I’m happy that no one was seriously injured,” Mayor Jim Fouts said. “He apparently exercised some caution by not shooting the robber in a vital area.”

The robbery unfolded in the late afternoon at the Citizens Bank near 9 Mile and Van Dyke. The 43-year-old assailant entered the bank with a gun and had procured “a large amount” of cash from the bank when, on the way out, he appears to have threatened a 63-year-old customer with his gun, according to Fouts.

That customer turned out to be carrying a concealed firearm for which he had a permit, the mayor said. The customer managed to pull out his own weapon and shoot the suspect three times: once in each arm and once in a leg.

The robber then staggered outside the building, where he fell, dropping the money alongside him, said witness Shante Jackson, who was watching after he heard a bang from across the street.

“I was in a state of shock,” she said.

The man was handcuffed while still on the ground, his arm bloodied, said Gary Guyette, a Ferndale man who happened to be passing by and decided to follow police to the bank to see what the commotion was.

Guyette saw the suspect lying on the ground handcuffed, yelling and moaning while surrounded by law enforcement. The man was quickly taken away in an ambulance.

“It was definitely intense,” Guyette said.

Police are still investigating what exactly happened, though they did recover the money that had fallen to the ground, Fouts said.

But so far it appears that the customer will not face any charges.

“This citizen did have a 2nd Amendment right,” Fouts said. He added, “He must have been a pretty good shot.”

But Fouts also said, “I would caution people against using firearms unless absolutely necessary.”

Contact Daniel Bethencourt: dbethencourt@freepress.com or 313-223-4531. Follow on Twitter at @_dbethencourt.