SUNRISE, Fla. – An employee at a Walmart in Sunrise shot and killed a would-be robber early Wednesday in the store parking lot, police said.
The shooting was reported about 3:30 a.m. at the Walmart off North University Drive.
Sunrise police said the employee was sitting in his car in the parking lot when he was approached by an armed man. A verbal confrontation ensued, and the employee, who had a concealed weapons permit, pulled out a gun and shot the man, police said.
"His intention was to come up and maybe do this person bodily harm, but the other person beat him to it," Walmart shopper Rico Blanco said.
The employee, identified as Ervin Jones, 28, wasn't injured.
His sister told Local 10 News that Jones has worked at Walmart for only a few months.
"I'm sorry to hear what happened to the victim, but my brother works hard ... to take care of him and his child," his sister, Nastashia Jones, said.
Police identified the would-be robber Thursday as 28-year-old Terrence Pearson.
Police said the shooting appears to be an act of self-defense and have handed over the case to the State Attorney's Office.