Store employee shoots robbery suspect, cops say: "A gun-toting robber who stuck up a south area convenience store was shot early this evening by one of the employees, a Sacramento sheriff's spokesman said. The unidentified gunman had entered Hite's Market on Fruitridge Road near Mendocino Boulevard just before 6 p.m., according to Deputy Jason Ramos. After the robber left the store with an unknown amount of cash, the two employees in the store chased him outside and exchanged gunfire, Ramos said. About 20 minutes later, a man with a gunshot wound showed up at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Bruceville Road, according to Ramos. Ramos said investigators showed store employees a photo of the robbery suspect and that they were later able to confirm that it was the suspect who wound up at the hospital with the gunshot wound."


A sad story behind the drop in crime: "Fear of crime has had an enormous impact on crime. Experts may not say it and the average American may not admit it, but decreasing crime rates have come at a precious cost — the sacrifice of personal liberty. John Q. Wilson, a renowned criminologist at Boston College recently wrote in The Wall Street Journal, “Another possible reason for reduced crime is that potential victims may have become better at protecting themselves by equipping their homes with burglar alarms, putting extra locks on their cars and moving into safer buildings or even safer neighborhoods.” Driving around rather than through some neighborhoods, avoiding a dimly lit parking lot or spacious parking garage may be accepted as prudent. But it has nonetheless altered the freedom to live and travel as one chooses. A stroll through the park, window shopping or a trip to the ball park involve not only the thought of being entertained but also being safe."