The general manager of Bob’s Coins & Jewelry, Ocala, Fla., shot at a thief who entered her store with a hammer, broke a glass case, and escaped with an official Vatican Treasury gold medallion worth $20,000. A news report states that Vickie Buxton informed the robber—who entered the store wearing a bandana over his face—that she would shoot; he ignored her announcement and smashed a glass display case containing coins. Two attempts to fire her .380-caliber handgun resulted in misfires, but a third effort landed a bullet into the back of the bluish-purple sports utility vehicle that Buxton witnessed the robber got into. 

According to the news release, a string of area robberies convinced Buxton to take classes on handling firearms and to purchase one. Minutes prior to the robbery, she noticed the vehicle idling in front of the store and circling the parking lot. Detectives are looking for the suspect, described as a white male approximately six-foot tall, of medium build, who was wearing a white jacket or long-sleeved shirt and camouflage short pants. 

Anyone with information should call the Ocala Police Department at (352) 369-7000 or visit www.ocalacrimestoppers.com.

JCK