A robbery suspect is dead after a patron with a concealed carry license opened fire at a Chicago convenience store Saturday night.
Police said a masked man, identified Sunday by the Cook County medical examiner’s office as 55-year-old Reginald Gildersleeve, walked into a store in the Gage Park neighborhood around 7 p.m., announced a robbery to an employee working behind the counter and displayed a handgun, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The gunman then pointed his weapon at another employee and forced her to the back of the store, police said. After that, a customer who was also inside the store pulled out a gun and fatally shot the robber, police said.
Police said the shooter has a valid concealed carry license and a valid firearm owner’s identification card. Charges against the shooter are not expected, police said.
Gildersleeve’s stepson said he believes there’s more to the story. Apparently, his stepfather was a former employee of the store and knew the owner well.
“Something doesn’t seem right,” Igbinosa Oronsaye told the Tribune. “Reggie doesn’t even own a gun. He couldn’t own a gun if he wanted to.”
It’s been more than two years since Illinois passed a law allowing residents to carry concealed firearms in public, but Chicago’s gun laws remain some of the strictest in the nation.
At least five more people were wounded in other shootings across the city since Saturday night, police said. One man was killed in a shooting at 8:35 a.m. Sunday, the Tribune reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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