Store owner talks about horrifying shootout.
A Texas jewelry store owner who shot and killed an armed robber says the incident bothers him, but he did what was necessary to protect himself and others at the business.
Jeff Turner Jr. told the Conroe Courier: “I didn’t want him to die. I just wanted to stop him.”
Turner, owner of Jeff’s Jewelry in Conroe, shot and killed 21-year-old Javian Jackson with an AK-47, according to the newspaper.
The jeweler said he was in the back of the store when he heard yelling up front and grabbed the gun. When he opened the door, “the guy shot at me from about 5 feet away,” he told the Courier.
Turner fired back. He said he knew he had to protect the other people in the store, including employees, customers and his own family members.
Three other assailants fled and have not yet been caught. They did not end up taking any cash or jewelry from the store.
Earlier reports said three store workers, including Turner, fired guns in the melee. But the Courier now reports that it’s unconfirmed whether the other two employees fired shots.
E. Tay Bond, attorney for Turner, said the jewelry store owner was justified in shooting the assailant.
Read more at the Conroe Courier