Defiant victim gets shot, then grabs gun and shoots fleeing robber, Florida cops say

Not even getting shot could keep one stubborn man from turning the tables on two luckless robbers outside a Florida mall, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.

The pushback started when the victim refused to surrender his gold jewelry and ended with him putting one of the robbers in a hospital, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

It happened at 2:15 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 24, outside Westfield Brandon Mall in Brandon, 12 miles east of Tampa.

Deputies responded to a call about shots fired and found a man with a gunshot wound to the leg.

“The victim (had) parked his vehicle outside the Dillard’s, and went into the Westfield Brandon Mall to visit a jewelry store. After leaving the mall and on his way to his car, two suspects approached the victim and pointed a gun at him,” the sheriff’s office reported.

“While one suspect held the gun, the second attempted to take a gold chain valued at tens of thousands of dollars off the victim. There was an altercation, and the victim was able to hold on to his chain.”

The robbers gave up and “took off running.” However, one turned and fired a parting shot at the victim, hitting him in the leg, officials said.

“The victim was able to retrieve a firearm from his vehicle, and shot at the fleeing suspects,” the sheriff’s office said.

“Later in the afternoon, a male was dropped off at the Advent Health ... in Tampa with a gunshot wound to the stomach. That man is believed to be one of the suspects. ... Both the victim and the wounded suspect are currently receiving treatment.”

The sheriff’s office is searching for the second suspect, and “detectives are working to determine if the victim and the suspects knew each other.”

“The violence seen this afternoon in such a public place is deplorable,” Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the release.

“We believe this to be a targeted attack with the intent of robbing the victim, and are grateful no one else was hurt in the area.”

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