An aspiring criminal was shot and killed by one of his intended victims during a convenience store robbery in Tampa, Florida on May 10th, 2016. No one else was harmed during the incident.
Around noon on that day, a man identified as Joel Alberto Torres approached the Ace Beverage Castle. He was wearing a bandana over much of his face and armed with a handgun. Initially, Torres attempted to rob a man behind the business. When the targeted victim told Torres he had no money on his person, Torres forced him into the establishment via a back door.
Once inside, Torres engaged the store’s owners in their office. However, one of them held a concealed carry permit and was armed with his own handgun. Upon seeing Torres’s weapon, he drew and fired, striking his assailant several times before calling 911. An ambulance crew rushed Joel Alberto Torres to Tampa General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Torres had a criminal record, including convictions for grand theft and burglary. In 2009 he was arrested on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, though no information as to the outcome of that case is available at this time.
The investigation is still ongoing at the time of this writing, and the shooter remains unidentified. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that he did hold a valid CCW and that the case will be referred to the State Attorney’s Office to decide if the man acted in self-defense or if charges should be filed.
