Store manager stops heist. (Exercising the Right).

Earl Dixon Jr. manages Beyond Wireless, a cell phone distribution store in Indianapolis, Indiana. Shortly after noon on April 23rd, two armed, masked men entered the store and demanded cash. Dixon dropped to the floor, grabbed a 9mm handgun kept on the premises, and came up shooting.

During the exchange of gunfire, one of Dixon's shots struck gunman Dimitri Bullock in the head. Mortally wounded, Bullock died shortly thereafter at a local hospital. The other robber, 16-year-old Timmy Taylor, fled from the store but was apprehended later. Dixon was unharmed.

Taylor initially denied having any affiliation with Bullock but subsequently admitted their ties. The April 28th Indianapolis Star reported: "According to court papers, Taylor said he and Bullock were at a cousin's house prior to the shooting and talked about 'doing some licks' -- street language for committing a robbery." They walked to Beyond Wireless "at 11 a.m. to conduct surveillance," then "returned 90 minutes later, each carrying a handgun."

Marion County prosecutor Carl Brizzi concluded on April 25th that no charges would be filed against Dixon. Police detective Bob Flack, who investigated the shooting, said that the store manager's actions were justified because he was "encountered by two armed suspects with ski masks, and weapons were pointed at him. He defended himself:" The Star's initial report of the incident on April 24th noted that "many small businesses, unable to afford the high costs of video surveillance or other means of protection, have sometimes relied on permitted firearms to protect themselves in case of trouble."

Taylor was charged as an adult with murder and attempted robbery, as well as a misdemeanor for carrying a handgun without a license. He had also been arrested on September 19th of last year for carrying an unlicensed handgun and was facing a May 30th court date on that charge.

Prosecutor Brizzi explained that Indiana law authorizes a felony murder charge when several persons commit a felony together, and one or more of them dies as a result. "The idea here is, but for their felony criminal acts, a human being's life wouldn't be lost," Brizzi said.