NORCO, Calif. – The owner of a Southern California liquor store who gained notoriety for shooting an armed robbery suspect with a shotgun last summer has died, his family confirmed.
Craig Cope, 80, gained national attention after security video showed him protecting his establishment by firing at a gunman with defensive firepower from a shotgun, KTLA reported.
Security footage showed a suspect armed with an assault-style rifle walk into the Norco Market & Liquor on Sunday, July 31 at 2:45 a.m. in the city of Norco. The suspect pointed the weapon at the owner, and ordered him to put his “hands in the air,” Law Officer reported at the time.
However, Cope didn’t hesitate. Within just a few seconds the elderly gentleman stepped behind a glass display and fired a shotgun at the suspect. The armed intruder fled the business while screaming, “He shot my arm off!”
A second camera in the parking lot showed the gun-toting would-be robber jump into a dark-colored BMW SUV (later determined to be stolen) with at least three accomplices before fleeing the scene.
The other suspects frantically drove off after the suspect who was shot ran out shouting, “He shot my arm off.” (Riverside County Sheriff’s Department)
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said three robbery suspects entered the market armed with long guns and wearing hoods.
Four suspects were later located at an area hospital. One of the suspects “was suffering from a gunshot wound consistent with a shotgun blast,” according to the Sheriff’s Department.
The 23-year-old gunman was hospitalized in critical but stable condition following the shooting. The other three were taken into custody and booked at the Robert Presley Detention Center for robbery and conspiracy, officials said.
During the run in with the gun-toting suspects, Cope, a father and grandfather, suffered a heart attack and needed three stents, CBS LA reported. Nevertheless, the man who was lauded by many for his decisive response returned to work quickly.
“I would always protect my employees, my customers, myself. This instance, fortunately, I was here by myself, so I only had to worry about that. I took care of it and that was that,” Cope said following the shooting.
“I did a lot of hunting when I was a little kid,” he noted. “I’d put food on the table. So, I still remember things from a long time ago.”
Continuing, Cope said, “We’ve got bad people, let’s face it. There’s bad people, bad people we don’t need. We need to get them locked up because this is a scary situation when that happens. Everybody works hard. They got bills to pay. These guys are going to come in and take it away from you. Not here.”
On Tuesday morning, the Facebook page for Norco Market & Liquor announced Cope’s passing:
“We Lost our Craig this Morning. I’m sorry I am without words right now but I promised to not leave you in the dark. There will be a memorial here at the store so when I come up with a date I will be sure to let you know.”
A cause of death for Cope was not mentioned. It was unknown if it was related to the heart attack he suffered following the robbery.
