Texas Businessman Sends a Clear Message to Criminals: Just Because My Shop Is Closed for the Day Doesn’t Mean I’m Not In Here With My Gun

An armed Houston businessman confronted a pair of burglary suspects attempting to rob his smoke shop on Wednesday, shooting one of them in the head. The criminals seemingly thought the shop was empty because it had closed for the day — which they quickly found out was not the case.

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Seeking to protect himself and his business, the manager of The Smoke Box in Houston grabbed his gun as the unidentified men, at least one of whom may have been armed, attempted to burglarize the business. Though the report lacks detail, the manager ended up firing his gun at them.

Sgt. John Hernandez with the Harris County Sheriff's Office told KTRK-TV that one of the suspects was shot in the head and transported to Ben Taub Hospital.

It's almost a given that all criminals in the area will think long and hard before targeting The Smoke Box any time in the near future -- even if it's closed for the day.

Both of the would-be burglars then attempted to run away but were quickly taken into custody by police in a nearby neighborhood.

One of the suspects reportedly pointed his gun at an officer, who then returned fire, firing three shots but missing his target.

Though police first thought there may have been a third suspect, they are no longer looking for any additional accomplices in the incident.

More from KTRK-TV:

This story has been updated for clarity.