Thursday, May 8, 2008

Florida: Man Shot, Killed Would-Be Robber

Boca Raton, Florida

From Local10 of May 8, 2008
Man Shot, Killed Would-Be Robber

No charges have been filed against a Boca Raton jeweler who shot and killed a would-be robber Wednesday afternoon.

Boca Raton police said four men smashed the windows of H&L Wholesale Jewelry storeowner Leon Rozio's sport utility vehicle at the Town Square Plaza. The SUV had more than $100,000 worth of jewelry in it.

Witnesses said Rozio shot and killed one of the men. The other three got away in a silver van.

Police said Rozio had a concealed weapons permit.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.
From the Miami Herald of May 8, 2008
Robber fatally shot in Boca Raton jewelry heist

After Leon Rozio got robbed, he vowed never to let it happen again.

Three or four years ago, the 64-year-old owner of Miami-based H&L Wholesale Jewelry Inc. lost some $300,000 in gold and jewelry in a holdup, said his half-brother, Fernando Mirabal.

Soon after, Rozio started bringing a gun on his sales runs, which took him and his priceless jewelry to shops across South Florida.

About 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, not long after Rozio parked his red Ford Explorer outside St. Moritz Jewelers on Boca Raton's west side, four men screamed up behind him in a silver car, boxing him in. They surrounded the Explorer, smashing out all four windows to get at the jewelry inside, witnesses said.

''He opened up like I have never seen,'' said Greg Sanderson, manager of a nearby Omaha Steaks shop, who watched the shooting through the store's plate-glass windows. ``I couldn't believe it. It sounded like the Wild West out there.''

One of the men staggered from the car and ran west through the parking lot toward St. Andrew's Boulevard, Winter said.

Paramedics found the wounded robber bleeding in the car, said Fire Rescue spokesman Frank Correggio. The man was taken to Delray Medical Center, where he died soon after, officials said.

The three other men escaped in a silver van, triggering a manhunt. It wasn't clear whether any of them were wounded, or whether they made off with any gold or jewels, police said.

Investigators still were quizzing Rozio at the police station until about 7 p.m. Rozio's attorney, Bill Mathewman, said his client will not face charges.

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