A 28-year-old man is dead after entering a Livermore gun shop wearing a mask, wielding a hammer, and trying to steal a gun, prompting the shop owner to fire two rounds in an outcome that shouldn’t have been unexpected.

While a man is dead, there’s certainly some element of “Eff around and find out” to the story of a man who was shot and killed while trying to rob a gun store in Livermore, as NBC Bay Area reports. The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon at East Bay Firearms on First Street in Livermore, and the suspect seems to have given himself away by entering the store with a mask, gloves, a hoodie pulled over his head, and armed with a hammer.

When the suspect grabbed a gun from the shelf, the store owner fired two rounds, which killed the suspect.


“A preliminary investigation suggests the man who died entered the store acting suspicious wearing a mask, a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head and gloves,” the Livermore Police Department said in a statement. “According to witness statements, he then attempted to rob the gun store by taking a firearm while armed with a hammer. The gun store owner fired two rounds fatally wounding the man.”

KTVU notes that police have not yet disclosed the suspect’s name, saying only that he’s a 28-year-old man from Redwood City. The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau will release the name once they’ve notified next of kin.

The shop owner is cooperating with authorities, and police do not consider him a suspect, as they believe he was acting in self-defense

KPIX spoke to an attorney on the special circumstances that render this case self-defense. "What makes this issue confusing is it's a gun store,” that attorney told the station. “So, if you owned a watch shop and someone came in to steal a watch with a hammer, well then all they have is a hammer. And the watches are not weapons, but here, this person could be arming themselves even further."

“If a person comes in and accesses firearms, anyone working in that store — anyone in that store — has a right to protect themselves from being shot," the attorney added.

According to Livermore PD, there were five other people in the store at the time of the robbery and fatal shooting. None of them were injured.

If you have any information on this incident, you’re asked to call the Livermore Police Department at (925) 371-4790. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

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Image: East Bay Firearms via Yelp