An unnamed motorist at a gas station in Elmwood Park, Illinois, shot and killed a would-be carjacker in early April, the whole event being caught on the station’s security cameras. However, police say the motorist acted in self defence and will not be charged for the incident.
The incident occured at the BP gas station on Grand Avenue in Elmwood Park on April 8, at 4:52pm. Police believe that Ronald Morales, 43, made eye contact with the motorist who was pumping gas at the time, exited the store at the gas station, walked over to the car and pulled out his gun. By the time Morales was near the car, the motorist was already back in the car.
Morales wasn’t going to let that stop him, but matters would have worked out a lot better for him if he had. He continued his approach, opened the passenger-side door before closing it again and began to speak to the motorist inside the car through an open window, a move the man inside took as more than just a little threatening.
The motorist exited the car equipped with a firearm of his own and he and Morales exchanged gunfire for a few seconds. Before long, Morales realized this whole situation hadn’t been a particularly smart move and tried to run away, however, the motorist kept firing, hitting and eventually killing Morales before he got back in the vehicle and sped off down the road. Morales later died of his wounds. Police have said that they won’t be pressing charges because the motorist acted in self-defense.
A police statement credited the BP gas station’s “state-of-the-art camera system” for providing them with the exceptionally clear footage of the entire scenario that unfolded that afternoon, making the process of coming to that conclusion far easier than it could have been.
This footage allowed the police to gather information from, and corroborate with, eyewitnesses, passengers in the car and the surviving motorist, enabling them to come to their decision quite quickly. Now you can watch that exact same security footage right here and see if you come to the decision.
