A late-night confrontation inside a neighborhood convenience store has escalated into a major legal dispute after a clerk fatally shot a suspected robber — only to later discover the weapon was fake.
According to investigators, the incident happened around 9 p.m. when 26-year-old Trevon M. entered the store with one hand hidden inside his jacket. Believing he was armed, the clerk instinctively drew his own firearm.
When Trevon pointed what appeared to be a handgun, the clerk fired — striking him in the neck. As the wounded man turned to run, the clerk fired a second shot, hitting him in the head. Trevon collapsed outside the store and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The clerk later told police he acted out of fear for his life.
“I didn’t want to shoot anyone,” he said. “But I truly thought I was about to die.”
Authorities later determined the suspect’s weapon was a plastic toy pistol, painted black to resemble a real gun.
Trevon’s family has since filed a civil lawsuit seeking $2 million, arguing that the clerk’s second shot was excessive and unjustified. Their attorney claims the fatal shot amounted to “execution rather than defense.”
Prosecutors declined to charge the clerk criminally, citing self-defense laws. However, the civil case remains active, fueling a broader public debate over reasonable force, stand-your-ground protections, and how ordinary citizens should respond when threatened.
As the case moves through the courts, both sides claim to be seeking justice — one for a lost son, the other for a man who says he only wanted to survive.
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