Michael E. Layoux Short Story

Police responded to a shooting last night at a convince store on East Forest Boulevard that left one man dead after an attempted robbery. Michael E. Layoux, 22, is a clerk at the store and was present at the time of the robbery. The store, located in a remote area of town isn’t a stranger to hold ups. “We’re open 24 hours, and the store has a history of holdups, particularly at night when there aren’t any customers in the store,” Layoux said. The robber entered the store around 11 p.m. asking for a pack of Winston cigarettes before removing a hidden pistol. “He pulled a gun and says, ‘You see what I got?” He had a pistol, and he held it low, level with his hip, so no one outside the store could look in and see it. Then he asked me for the money, and I gave it to him.”
Fearing for his life, Layoux did the unthinkable. He removed his hidden .25-caliber pistol and shot the man three times in the chest and side: “He’d started turning toward the cooler, and then he must have heard me cocking the pistol because he started jerking his head back around toward me. I shot him three times in the chest and side, but 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.” Though cops would determine Layoux’s actions at self-defense, he was still fired because he broke company policy about firearms on company locations. “I started carrying a gun to work last year after I read where two clerks at another convenience store in the city were robbed and killed. Carrying a gun is against company policy, but I figured I had to protect myself.” Layoux said. “It’s a real shame, because I’m still a college student, and I need the job.” Company officials have yet to comment on the robbery or on the firing of Michael