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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 24 January 2017
Police: ‘Good Samaritan’ shot robber who had killed man

JUAN A. LOZANO Murphy, who managed
Associated Press sales at a local car deal-
HOUSTON (AP) A “good ership and lived in nearby
Samaritan” shot and Cibolo, was looking out for
wounded an armed rob- the safety of his wife and
ber at a San Antonio mall others at the store when he
after another man was confronted the robbers.
killed while confronting two “John always looked out
people who had just held for his family and he’d do
up a jewelry store, a police anything to protect his
spokesman said Monday. family and others. And I
The licensed concealed believe that cost him his
handgun holder, whose life,” said Cercone, who is
name has not been re- an attorney in San Francis-
leased by authorities, be- co and is dating Murphy’s
lieved other people were stepdaughter.
in danger and was within Murphy “was a protector in
his rights to use his gun fol- every sense of the word,”
lowing the Sunday robbery, said Cercone, who has
said San Antonio police set up a GoFundMe page
spokesman Officer Doug (http://bit.ly/2jHmmpt ) for
Greene. The wounded sus- Murphy’s family.
pect was hospitalized in Police Chief William Mc-
critical condition Monday; San Antonio police stand guard at an exit to the Rolling Oaks Mall after a deadly shooting Sunday, Manus called Murphy’s
the second suspect, who Jan. 22, 2017, in San Antonio. Authorities say several were injured after a robbery at the shopping death senseless “because
mall.
shot and wounded two (AP Photo/Eric Gay) it seems like the gentleman
people in the Rolling Oaks was trying to do the right
Mall while running away, just ask people to use their unarmed but nonetheless shooting and fired multiple thing,” Greene said.
was captured later Sun- best judgment when they tried to stop the robbers times at the robber who Asked whether people
day. get into situations like this.” outside the jewelry store, had shot Murphy, Greene with concealed weapons
“It was obvious it was a Police described both according to Greene, who said. He did not know how should intervene in such sit-
very dangerous situation men who tried to intervene didn’t immediately know many people were in the uations, Greene said, “It re-
and that lives were being as “good Samaritans.” how Murphy tried to stop mall at the time. ally depends on that con-
threatened and (the two Greene said the men did them or whether there was Murphy had been at the cealed handgun license
robbers) were armed with not know each other. a physical altercation be- jewelry store with his wife holder, on how comfort-
weapons and ... the good The man who was killed fore Murphy was shot. to get their wedding rings able they feel, at what lev-
Samaritan with the (con- was identified by the Bexar The man with the con- cleaned, said family friend el do they think they need
cealed handgun) license County Medical Examin- cealed handgun saw the Chris Cercone. He believes to respond.”q
could have been injured er’s Office as 42-year-old
as well,” Greene said. “We Jonathan Murphy. He was
Officer breaks window to save

woman trapped in burning car

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) A has power locks, which
woman who was trapped stopped working when the
in a burning car hailed a engine died. She called
Washington state police 911, then noticed flames
officer as a hero after he coming from the front of
bashed in her window and the windshield.
pulled her to safety, a res- Novak tried kicking out the
cue caught on the officer’s windows but could not get
body camera. them to break. She thought
Officer Tim Schwering of she would die.
the Spokane Police De- “I was thinking to myself,
partment repeatedly ‘It’s not going to be long,’”
smashed the window with she told The Spokesman-
a baton as flames shot Review newspaper. “It’s
from the hood of the car coming under the floor
on a snowy street. He even- bed, and it’s coming near
tually cracked a hole big me.” She moved to the
enough for Kim Novak to fit backseat and tried unsuc-
through and pulled her out. cessfully to kick out the rear
Novak told media outlets in window. The inside of the
Spokane that she was driv- car filled with smoke and
ing home from the grocery then she heard someone
store Friday night when beating on a window.
her car hit frozen slush and “I honestly thought it
broke down. would take one hit and
She says she began to see the window would smash,”
smoke but could not get Schwering told the news-
out because her vehicle paper. q