The Departed
Cops say Evan Louis Rivera, convicted drug dealer and serial armed robber, walked into Big Bob Liquors with a handgun. He was carried out with several holes in him. Fed-up clerks everywhere cheer on the licensed-to-carry gunowner who plugged him. Heck, even a gun-control advocate is cheering him. Boston Herald:
Fellow package store workers yesterday stood behind a Worcester liquor clerk who fatally shot an allegedly armed would-be robber in what appeared to be a bold act of self-defense.
“He had to protect himself. He didn’t know what they were going to do,” said 29-year-old Jesse Nowosacki of Auburn Package Store, referring to a clerk at a Worcester liquor store who shot and killed a masked man during an attempted holdup Wednesday night.
Worcester police believe the foiled holdup at Big Bob’s Liquors could be connected to other violent packie heists in the area, including one at Auburn Package Store in Auburn four weeks ago when two gun-wielding thugs robbed that store.
Said Nowosacki, who was on the job that night: “At first, I thought we were going to get shot.”
Police said 40-year-old Evan Louis Rivera died Wednesday night after he pointed a gun at a clerk at Big Bob’s. The clerk, who is licensed to carry a firearm, opened fire, striking Rivera several times, police said.
Rivera died 45 minutes later.
Rivera’s alleged accomplice is still at large.
The owner of Big Bob’s declined comment.
Worcester District Attorney spokesman Tim Connolly said the investigation is ongoing. As of yesterday, no charges had been filed against the store clerk.
Bay State liquor store workers had little sympathy for Rivera.
“Oh my God. That’s great,” said Luis Garcia, owner of Garcia Liquors in Lawrence, where just last week a feisty 59-year-old clerk refused to hand over cash to an armed robber.
Dan Warner, a clerk at McGovern’s liquors in Worcester, said the Big Bob’s worker appeared to be within his rights.
“Eventually, you figure somebody would react that way with somebody trying to stick a gun in their face,” he said. “He’s defending the business. It’s his livelihood.”
Criminal records show that Rivera was a hard-core armed robber.
He was released from a Florida prison six years ago after serving 14 years for armed robberies in Miami-Dade County, according to records from the Florida Department of Corrections.
Last year, Rivera was arrested on charges he was selling cocaine and heroin from his Worcester apartment. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and heroin and was given a one-year suspended jail sentence and probation.
No doubt Rivera, 40, was about to turn his life around. More on his life’s work here and below.
Meanwhile, Stop Handgun Violence founder John Rosenthal, via Herald:
“It’s a good thing the store clerk was licensed and trained and prevented this heinous crime,” he said. “If it was all legal, power to the guy.”
President-elect Obama and AG nominee Eric Holder, you paying attention?
Props to our adversaries on Morrissey Boulevard, who apparently found a more talkative cop and nailed some more details. Boston Globe:
WORCESTER - Police believe that the robbers had hit eight local businesses in the past several months. Each time, they grabbed the clerk by the shoulder, shoved a handgun in the clerk’s face, took cash from the register, and fled.
Wednesday night, their spree ended in death when they stormed into Big Bob’s Liquors, where the owner is known to keep a semiautomatic pistol tucked in his waistband.
It was 10 p.m., an hour before closing time. Robert “Big Bob” Varderesian was sitting on a stool behind the counter. His brother, Kevin, was counting cash from the register. Suddenly, the robbers burst inside, wearing masks.
Evan Louis Rivera, a convicted felon with a history of armed robberies dating to at least 1988, pressed a loaded revolver to Kevin Varderesian’s temple and told him to hand over the cash. But while he was looking at the money, police said, Robert Varderesian pulled his gun from his waistband, reached behind his brother’s back, and fired multiple shots into Rivera’s chest, killing him.
The entire episode lasted less than a minute.
Rivera’s accomplice fled and was at large last night as police mounted a massive manhunt with dogs and officers on foot. Varderesian, who was licensed to carry a gun, had not been charged with a crime.
“He felt that he was in a life-and-death situation, and he took action,” said Sergeant Kerry F. Hazelhurst of the Worcester Police Department.
Next door, at Moscow Nights deli, owner Yuriy Fastovskiy said he was going to buy a gun to protect the shop he opened 13 years ago. “I’m going to try to get a license,” he said. “The area is safe,” he said, but added that criminals could come from other parts of Worcester to rob him.
Hazelhurst, however, cautioned against anyone rushing to buy firearms in response.
“Clearly, everyone has a right to defend themselves,” he said. “However, we prefer to let that be handled by the police. We don’t want people running out and getting guns now. We certainly hope they’ll think long and hard about that. It’s a great responsibility to own a firearm.”
He said it is too soon to say whether the shooting was justified. Investigators interviewed Varderesian Wednesday night and have recovered Rivera’s revolver. They are also reviewing video from the store’s security camera, which recorded the shooting.
“The debate’s going to be: ‘Did he do the right thing or not,’ ” Hazelhurst said. “And who are we to judge if we weren’t there.”
…
Rivera, who was 40 and had a last known address in Worcester, had a long criminal history. Florida prison records show he served two months in prison in 1988 for burglary and grand theft and was sent back to prison from 1989 to 2002 for a string of armed robberies.
Police believe that he and his accomplice were responsible for at least eight armed robberies in Fitchburg, Worcester, and Auburn, where they took cash from liquor stores and an auto parts store.
One discrepancy. That surveillance photo above (Herald via Fox 25) does not appear to show Mr. Rivera wearing any kind of mask. Globe reports masks.
Topics: crime, guns, law & order
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 7:40 am on Friday, December 12, 2008
7 Responses to “The Departed”
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December 12th, 2008 at 9:29 am
[...] Glen(n) Reynolds is hyper-masculine, how do we label “Big Bob“, the gat-strapped liquor dealer who lets Mr. Colt do the [...]
December 12th, 2008 at 9:52 am
This is a demonstration on how “gun control” is about handling the weapon, not passing laws preventing honest citizens from owning them.
December 12th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
“We don’t want people running out and getting guns now… However, we prefer to let that be handled by the police.”
“And who are we to judge if we weren’t there.”
Do those statements contradict one another?
December 12th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
BAA-DAA-BING, like Dat ! One less scumbag. Excellent solution to the problem.
Or, as the great John Lott has proved beyond any arguments, MORE GUNS, LESS CRIME.
December 12th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
He went out with a bang…Then another, Then another…well you get the idea.
December 13th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Remember, when seconds count the police are only minutes away.
December 15th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
If you don’t have a gun yet, get one, now. Get plenty of ammo, too. Learn to use it. Only you can protect yourself and your loved ones.