Workers foil burglary at gun store in west HoustonBy Dale Lezon and Andrew Kragie, Houston Chronicle
Updated 5:06 pm, Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Photo: Yi-Chin Lee, Houston Chronicle
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Plywood boards cover the outside of Full Armor Gun Range, whose owner said an attempted burglary early Tuesday was the 14th robbery in five years.
UPDATE: Houston police interviewed and released two of the suspects in this case, HPD spokeswoman Jodi Silva said on Tuesday afternoon. They were not charged, but prosecutors plan to take the case to a grand jury. One man, Darrien Sams, will likely face charges of felon in possession of a firearm.
Would-be thieves got more than they bargained for when workers at a gun shop surprised them during an attempted burglary early Tuesday at a store along Interstate 10 in west Houston.
James Hillin, owner of Full Armor Firearms in the 11900 block of the Katy Freeway, said his employees were "heroes" who put a stop to the 14th burglary at the shop in five years.
The attempted theft comes amid a string of incidents at gun shops and ranges. Thieves got away with pistols and rifles after smashing a pickup through the wall Jan. 5 at Marksman Indoor Range in South Houston. In March 2016, a crew used a pickup and chain to pull the doors off a Carter's Country Guns and Ammo.
Officials with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Houston is among the cities experiencing an uptick in gun-shop thefts. Ryan Taylor, an ATF group supervisor, attributed the robberies to small local networks, not drug cartels or large-scale organized crime. Criminals can quickly make a profit by selling the weapons, sometimes with the aid of social media.
The employees grabbed guns, dashed outside and nabbed two of the would-be burglars, detaining them at the scene until police arrived, said Lt. Larry Crowson with the Houston Police Department. One of the detained men had a pistol. Hillin said he stationed employees overnight to watch the shop since there have been a string of burglaries in the area. Just after midnight, the two workers noticed men breaking into a vehicle in front of the building.
Other suspects jumped in a car and sped away, reportedly firing a gunshot at the workers. A worker returned fire with an AR-15 rifle. The workers were not hurt.
About 30 minutes after the gunfire, a man was found outside West Houston Medical Center, Crowson said. He had been shot in the back. Two people had pulled up in a car outside the hospital, dropped off the wounded man and sped away. HPD spokesman John Cannon said the man's injuries were not life-threatening.
Investigators are trying to determine if the wounded man was shot during the attempted burglary. Crowson said investigators found a car at the gun shop that was apparently connected to the two suspects detained at the scene by the armed workers. Inside the car, officers found several pairs of new tennis shoes and a cache of electronic equipment.
Investigators are trying to determine if the shoes and electronics were stolen in a recent burglary, Crowson said. Hillin said he thinks the burglars had been driving along the Katy Freeway breaking into vehicles, which is where they got the shoes and other items.
The store owner suspects this same group previously had tried to rob his store, which has signs on the front warning, "All guns locked in vault at night" and "Brick wall behind glass."
The recent thefts worry some other retailers. Gordon Taylor, co-owner of Black Gold Guns and Ammo near Spring Branch, said he has noticed a definite increase in thefts recently.
In addition to a solid concrete wall, alarms, bars, chains and gates, Taylor said he planned to have an employee stay in the store overnight.
His message for potential thieves: "Come and take it. Jimmy'll be waiting."
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