Robbery: Almost A Strong Example

An O-Mart clerk in Haslett was fired after he shot and killed an armed robber to avoid being backed into the store cooler late Wednesday night. VERY STRONG LEDE!

Despite company policy, Michael Layoux, 22, kept a pistol under the counter due to the store’s history of hold ups and the murder of two clerks at another local convenience store.

“I figured I had to protect myself,” said Layoux.

Layoux said he was working alone when Robert A. Wises *** FATAL FACT ERROR: WIESS, STED WISES *** came in to the store asking for cigarettes. Wises then presented a pistol and demanded money from the register.

Layoux said he gave him the money but he only got about $20 because “We put all the big bills we get into a floor safe we can’t open.”

According to Layoux, Wises then motioned him to go into the cooler, which has no lock.

“There’s no reason for him to put me in the cooler; I could walk right out. The only thing I could figure was that he wanted to shoot me, and he wanted to do it in some place where no one could see what was happening,” said Layoux.

Layoux said he then shot Wises three times in the chest and the side.

“I didn’t know right away that I hit him. He just ran out through the front door. He didn’t even open it. He ran right through the glass,” Layoux said.

Layoux said he called the police who found Wises dead about 200 yards away.

“The police talked to me for almost two hours, and they said it was OK, that I acted in self-defense,” said Layoux.

Layoux said he received news Thursday morning from his district manager that he was fired because he violated company policy by having the gun in the store.

As a student at Lansing Community College, Layoux said he was disappointed about losing his job but he “can understand the company’s rules.”

Company officials refused to comment about the robbery or firing.

ASSIGNMENT GRADE: 1.0 (1 FACT FATAL)

INSTRUCTOR COMMENTS: THIS IS GONNA SUCK TO SHARE, BUT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN A 4.0 IF NOT FOR THE FATAL. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU’RE DOING PROPER DUE DILIGENCE IN DOUBLE-CHECKING NAMES AND SUCH AFTER YOU FINISH WRITING!