Case Studies
11. Violent Crime
Travis, Adam, and Lisa were freshmen students at Southern State University. They recently found out that their favorite rock band will be playing in a city only three hours away. All three really want to go, but the concert tickets are very expensive and none of them can afford the tickets, the gas to get there, or a hotel room.
One night, while the three friends were hanging out having a few beers, they decided on how to get the money they needed. They decided to rob the convenience store near campus. Most of the employees are college students, so it seemed like an easy target. They formed a plan and agreed they would carry it out the next evening.
The following night Travis and Adam entered the convenience store. Unknown to Travis, Adam was carrying a .38 special that his father had given him for graduation. He had never fired it before, and did not plan to now, but simply brought it to use as a scare tactic. When the two boys demanded money from the cashier, the employee unexpectedly pulled a pistol from under the counter. Without thinking, Adam drew his gun and fired at the cashier. The two boys grabbed the cash from the register and left the wounded employee lying on the floor.
Meanwhile, Lisa was waiting in the driver’s seat of Travis’s car, parked on the side of the building. As soon as Adam and Travis emerged from the store and jumped into the car, she sped away. Obviously, the plan did not unfold as expected. Later that evening, the three friends heard about their robbery on the local news and learned that the young man that was working at the convenience store died from a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The news also reported that the police had identified three suspects from the store’s surveillance footage and were searching for the two males from inside the store, as well as the female that was driving the getaway vehicle.