An 80-year-old liquor store owner who went viral for shooting an armed robber over the summer has died, his family and colleagues said Tuesday.
Craig Cope, the 80-year-old proprietor of Norco Market & Liquor in small town California, died Tuesday morning, his colleague Marnie Tapia confirmed.
Cope gained fame after surveillance footage surfaced of him thwarting an armed robbery with a shotgun in July – spurring many to hail the senior as a hero.
The incident saw one of four armed intruders who attempted to storm the store shot almost instantly, as the longtime store operator quickly became wise to the attempt.
Footage showed 23-year-old Rasheed Belvin frantically fleeing after being shot in the arm, and eventually arrested along with his cronies.
Sadly, the encounter served to exacerbate Cope’s already declining health, causing him to suffer a heart attack, and then a stroke in October. He owned and operated his store for 46 years.
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Craig Cope, the 80-year-old proprietor of Norco Market & Liquor in small town California, died Tuesday morning of a stroke, his colleague Marnie Tapia confirmed on social media Tuesday
Cope gained fame after surveillance footage surfaced of him thwarting an armed robbery with a shotgun in July – spurring many to hail the senior as a hero
On Tuesday morning, the store – located in Norco, a rural town of just over 26,000 50 miles east of Los Angeles – took to Facebook to announce Cope’s passing.
‘We Lost our Craig this Morning,’ the post from one of the late storeowner’s staffers began, alluding to health issues Cope had been dealing with since the incident.
‘I’m sorry I am without words right now, but I promised to not leave you in the dark. There will be a memorial here at the store so when I come up with a date I will be sure to let you know.’
Tapia, a longtime employee at the mom-and-pop store, also took to social media to mourn her old boss, resharing the post before speaking to reporters outside.
Standing in front of a growing memorial dedicated to the late business owner, Tapia remembered Cope as ‘an amazing man’ who was ‘everybody’s friend.’
‘He was not just my boss,’ Tapia said, ‘he was my friend, my confidant, my mentor – he was so many things.’
Cope, 80, gained fame for defending his store with a shotgun when a would-be armed robber burst into Norco Market & Liquor. Cope suffered a minor heart attack from the shock of ordeal
The 23-year-old suspect, Rasheed Belvin, armed with an AR-15- screamed after being in the shoulder: ‘He shot my arm off! He shot my arm off!’ He was found at a hospital and arrested
Growing emotional, she tearfully added: ‘It’s a sad day for sure.’
Dozens of residents were seen flocking to the procession to pay their respects to the longtime Norco fixture – who is now being remembered as a beloved father, grandfather, a ‘great boss’ – and above all, a hero.
Security camera footage captured the dramatic encounter.
‘He shot my arm off! He shot my arm off!’ Belvin can be heard shouting as he frantically runs back to a black BMW SUV that deputies later said was reported stolen.
Standing in front of a growing memorial dedicated to the business owner, Tapia, who looked at Cope as a mentor, remembered him as ‘an amazing man’ who was ‘everybody’s friend’
Cope is being remembered as a beloved dad, grandfather, a ‘great boss’, and above all, a hero
The suspects were located a short time later at a local hospital, where one of the suspects, a 23-year-old male, was suffering from a gunshot wound consistent with a shotgun blast, according to a Riverside County Sheriff’s Department release. He was taken to hospital in a critical but stable condition before being arrested.
The three other suspects were taken into police custody and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for robbery and conspiracy. They were being held on $500,000 bail following the incident on July 31.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office for updates in their case.
Deputies identified the suspects as 22-year-old Inglewood resident Justin Johnson, 27-year-old Los Angeles resident Jamar Williams and 24-year-old Las Vegas resident Davon Broadus.
Cope is being remembered as a beloved dad, grandfather, a ‘great boss’, and above all, a hero
Deputies responded to reports of the armed robbery around 2:47 a.m.
Surveillance video revealed the suspects approached the business armed with long guns wearing facial coverings and hoods.
As soon as Belvin walked inside with his gun aimed, Cope, who said he had seen the would-be robbers approach on the store’s recently installed security cameras, fired a single shot from a shotgun, causing the suspect to flee the store.
‘He shot my arm off!’ Belvin can be heard shouting in the footage, as he rushed outside of the store away from the senior and to his dumbfounded accomplices.
The primary suspect, Rasheed Belvin, at left, was hospitalized in critical condition. He and Davon Broadus, at right, remain in the custody of Riverside County Sheriff’s Department
Deputies identified the other suspects as 22-year-old Inglewood resident Justin Johnson, 27-year-old LA resident Jamar Williams. Both are currently in custody on $500k bail as well
Hitting the accelerator, the driver almost left one of the accomplices behind – having to stop so the last hooded assailant could jump into the vehicle.
Back inside the store, Cope suffered a heart attack from the shock of the incident and had to be rushed to hospital.
He was on the mend before sadly suffering from a stroke weeks later in October.
The suspect rushed outside of the store away from the senior and to his dumbfounded accomplices, who were all quickly captured
Hitting the accelerator, the driver almost leaves one of the accomplices behind. The suspects are in custody after cops found Belvin at the hospital, identifying him from his gunshot wound
