Concealed Carrier Shot w/ His Own Gun After Trying to Stop a Shoplifter

On Monday, Trinis Derrell Edwards, 49, was charged with murder because of a shooting at Big Discount Liquor in St. Paul. Police said Kenneth Davis was a regular customer that accused Edwards of stealing a bottle of vodka that led to the shooting.

Workers claimed Edwards argued with Davis about hiding the bottle. Davis took the bottle and ordered him out of the store when Edwards supposedly said he had a gun in his backpack. Davis had a gun of his own and told the victim he had a “license” as he “displayed” the firearm.

A surveillance video shows the two men in the parking lot where they started fighting. Davis dropped his gun on the ground, but Edwards got to it first and shot Davis twice, according to police.

“Edwards and [Davis] eventually went to the sidewalk outside the store. Edwards appeared to threaten [Davis] with pepper spray, and the two men got into a heated exchange. Edwards grabbed [Davis’] shoulders. KD tried to remove his handgun from his jacket while wrestling with Edwards. [Davis’] handgun fell to the ground. When KD reached to retrieve the gun, Edwards pushed [Davis] away from the gun into the parking lot.” via FOX9.

According to the StarTribune, “Court records in Minnesota show that Edwards has a long and often violent criminal history. He’s been convicted five times for violating no-contact orders, four times for domestic assault, twice for a weapons offense, and once each for forgery, fleeing police, disorderly conduct, terroristic threats, assault, and drunken driving.”

Those are some pretty serious charges, so why was this guy even on the streets?

Why even bother starting a fight with someone over a cheap bottle of vodka. Always remember defending property like this does not justify using deadly force. You never know when that shoplifter has a propensity for violence, and then a $12 confrontation cost you your life.