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Man Shot by Norco Store Owner During Foiled Robbery in ‘Stable' Condition

A man accused of trying to rob a Norco liquor store with three cohorts but was blasted by the owner with a shotgun remains in critical condition, authorities said Friday. DaShawn Rasheed Lee Belvin, 23, of Los Angeles was wounded in the left arm Sunday during the alleged attempted holdup at Norco Market & Liquor at 816 Sixth St.

Riverside County sheriff’s Capt. Mike Koehler said that, as of Thursday night, Belvin was in “critical but stable condition.”

The defendant is receiving treatment in a secure ward of Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley.

Belvin, Davon Anthony Broadus, 24, of Inglewood, Justin Kyle Johnson, 22, of Inglewood, and Jamar Elijah Williams, 26, of Las Vegas were arrested Sunday.

All of them are charged with attempted robbery, elder abuse, possession of a stolen firearm and sentence-enhancing allegations of using a gun during a felony and victimizing a person over 65 years old. Belvin is additionally charged with firearm assault.

Broadus, Johnson and Williams pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Wednesday before Superior Court Judge Sean Crandell, who scheduled a felony settlement conference for the trio on Aug. 12 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Each defendant is being held on $500,000 bail — Broadus at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, Johnson at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside and Williams at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.

Belvin did not join his co-defendants in court because of his condition. No arraignment date has been set for him.

Koehler said that shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, the four alleged would- be robbers pulled into the parking lot of Norco Market & Liquor, exiting a BMW SUV holding rifles.

“These suspects approached the business entrance … wearing facial coverings and hoods,” Koehler said. “Immediately upon entering the business, with the rifles pointed at the ready, an employee inside the business fired a single shot from a shotgun, causing the suspects to flee.”

The store owner, 80-year-old James Craig Cope, told one newspaper that he had “a long gun pointed directly at me,” referring to Belvin allegedly shouldering an AR-15.

“It was either him or me, and I was a little bit faster,” Cope said.

The wounded would-be robber, allegedly Belvin, fled from the establishment, screaming, “He shot my arm off!”

Koehler alleged the foursome went to a regional trauma center, where Belvin sought medical treatment.

Sheriff’s deputies were summoned to investigate, and they discovered Broadus, Johnson and Williams in the SUV, parked outside the hospital, according to Koehler.

He said that the three men, who were not injured, were taken into custody without incident after it was confirmed the BMW had been reported stolen.

“The vehicle was found to contain numerous stolen firearms,” Koehler said.

The sergeant said that further investigation, relying on security surveillance video from the store, confirmed that Cope had opened fire in self defense. He was not injured.

The defendants have no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.


Source: NBC Los Angeles

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