After Shooting Robbers, Killing 2, Harlem Store Owner Says, "I Haven't Done Anything Wrong"

Photograph by yojimbot on Flickr

This morning, not even a day after shooting four would-be robbers—killing two of them— who stormed into his West 125th Street restaurant supply store, Charles (Gus) Augusto was back at work. The Daily News saw the 72-year-old open Blue Flame's doors at 7:45 a.m.; Augusto told the News, "I haven't done anything wrong. I'm sitting here minding my own business and they come in with guns...I don't feel like a hero. I would have felt like a hero if I could have talked that kid into going home."

Augusto said that the men, ages 21 to 29, were armed and demanded money, but he told them they had no cash and told them to leave. But one started to pistol whip an employee, so Augusto took out a 12-gauge, pump-action shotgun that he kept there (a purchase from 20 years ago, when he was robbed). Augusto recalled to the News, "It was sitting there for 20 years - I didn't know if it was gonna work. I got up and pointed it down there and I fired about three rounds. I wasn't aiming at no one directly." And he said to the Post, "I was hoping I could have talked them out of it. I'm sorry they're dead but they didn't give me any other choice."

The two men that died were James Morgan, 29—he died outside the building (and there was a gun near him)—and Raylin Footman, 21—according to the Post, he "collapsed across the street, and later died at St. Luke's Hospital." The NY Times reports at the hospital, "Relatives and friends of the dead and wounded men screamed and wailed in anguish as word of what had happened spread," with one woman wailing, "Oh my God! Why would they want to rob a store? Damn! Why? Why would he go to a family store? He got money!" The two other suspects—Bernard Witherspoon, 21, and Shamel McCloud, 21, —were injured and treated; charges are pending against them.

Witnesses on West 125th Street saw the aftermath of the shooting—apparently the employee who was pistolwhipped went over the Footman's body and cursed him. Then, the News reports, he "went back into the store and dragged Morgan's body onto the sidewalk, yelling at him and kicking him, witnesses said. 'He stood over the body cursing him and shaking him, even though he was dead,' said Matthew Viane, 38, who lives in the neighborhood. 'He was screaming at him and stomping him. He [the employee] said, "You were going to kill me? Now you're dead!"'"

The police are investigating whether Augusto had a permit or registration for the shotgun; it may have expired, but NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said, "There is a lower threshold for owning a shotgun in the city, a permit as opposed to a license." As for Augusto, he's being treated as a witness and an attempted robbery victim; he emphasized to the News, "I would have been happy if they'd all run out the door. I'm sick to my stomach over it. I'm sad I couldn't talk him out of it. I'm sad there's mothers and fathers with no sons today."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on August 14, 2009 11:37 AM

Comments [rss]

karlandmarcel

Another Bernie Goetz is born. And of course little has been learned since the MTA Palladin plugged some punk for considerably less antisocial behavior (menacing with a screwdriver, wasn’t it?). Nor can we expect highly-compensated corporate disinformation specialists to ask difficult questions. Or even simple questions. Forget the question of young black male unemployment in NYC. Or black male morbidity & mortality in NYC. Or the overloaded black male express train from NYC to the American Gulag. Guaranteed nonstarters. How about the NYC blight of cash-only businesses? Any chance our septugenarian shotgunner hero is a target of armed robbery because he is busily engaged in robbing the city and state of taxes? Of course Goldman Sachs et al are doing the same in higher style… But we digress...

JReedNet

@felixthecat2 Time for the owner to reload, not move out.

NewHCE

He can't reload. Cops took his gun. He will NEVER see that again.

sj

He can get another one. Shotguns are easy enough to come by.

NewHCE

If he wants to register it properly in NYC, then it will take him 6-9 mo. My guess is he had state registration for this gun by not and NYC one.

felixthecat2

Time for the owner to move out, there might be some retaliation.

GOP

Blame Bloomberg?

felixthecat2

don't your KKK ass ever reply to me. Set your hood on fire and leave me alone.

GOP

Bloomberg's fault.

GOP

"I'm sad there's mothers and fathers with no sons today."

I'd sad one baby momma with four or five possible baby daddies.

suepart

he only did two things wrong- he didn't blast the other two mf'ers straight to hell either.

sharpshoota

Me wants shotgun now.

NannyState

It's tragic that those four had a bad robbery experience. Hopefully a $1 dollar off coupon will make them feel better.

matty

I wonder what this does for the anti-gun movement in major cities across the US.

I'm still opposed to guns in cities.

hotstepper

fuck'em. if i owned a small business in the city you know for damn sure i'd keep my shotty close by and wouldn't hesitate to use it in this type of situation. i hope Gus can return to some state of normalcy after all this.

whitecastlerock

Has Mayor Bloomberg made a statement about this incident yet?

felixthecat2

who the hell except sheep like you want to hear Bloomberg's statements? All he does is lie to his dumb masses.

whitecastlerock

I care-now please go back to masturbating...

felixthecat2

keep your mind off my pecker.

ides_of_march

He should get a medal and key to the city.

SP

"I don't feel like a hero. I would have felt like a hero if I could have talked that kid into going home."

Shut the fuck up and have some respect for the duress this man is under right now you blood thirsty asshole.

ides_of_march

What would an ignorant, potty-mouthed oaf like you know about respect?

Snoopy

robdesign13. I don't believe if you are between the age of 21 to 29 you are considered a kid anymore.

The four assholes took it upon themselves to walk into a store in the middle of the afternoon and try to rob it. I guess it takes some of the oldtimers to put some slugs into the kids today to make them realize they are full of shit when it comes to knowing what's right and what's wrong. And don't fuck with older people because they don't have much to loose.

Has there been any comments from the fathers of the two deceased? I'm not talking cousins and aunts and their grandmothers, I am asking about how their fathers feel about the situation.

Regarding Shamel and his bro Mr. Witherspoon, here's hoping a long and painful recovery and then drop dead.

I would suggest sending $20 to Charles (Gus) Augusto at Kaplan Brothers Blue Flame, 523 west 125th Street, NY, NY 10027-3402 in order to buy more ammo or pay for his lawyer.

echo

I like your suggestion of sending Gus money for ammo or a lawyer.

emilydickinson

It turns out that he had a permit for the weapon, and the DA is just using him as a witness in the case. It's a shame he had to kill them, but in this case these thugs got what they deserved.

marcasm

Any word from Al Sharpton yet ?

Brooklynbobby

Really!!!! Where is the world's most stupid media whore? Must be on vacation.

Bernie Madoff-Goetz

He's got his undies in a twist over the cop-on-cop shooting, er, that white devil execution of a righteous brother bullshit.

robdesign13

Damn. I feel bad for Mr Augusto. He didn't ask for this to be put up on him. I bet there's backlash for shooting these kids too. He'll probably now have to move out of his neighborhood. He doesn't deserve that.

JenChungsBaby

So what does Mr. Augusto do now? Keep going back to that store every day waiting for one of these punks' friends or relatives to come looking for him? He's 72. Maybe it's a good time to retire.

FJF

Just thinking the same thing. Only a matter of time before he gets a taste of 'hood justice.

sj

I fully support the actions of Augusto but he needs to get himself an attorney and STOP talking to the media or anyone else about what happened until this thing shakes out and the DA's office decides whether or not to seek to indict him. I would hope they wouldn't be so stupid as to do that, but you never know.

NewHCE

The sad part is that now he doesn't have a gun...and the thugs know it.

NewHCE

Totally! That "i wasn't aiming at anyone" could get him in trouble.

ChampionOfTheSun

I wonder what will happen if the gun is not registered. Plaxico Buress got indicted for shooting himself with an unregistered gun.

mrguy

give charles Augusto a badge and a handgun. he sounds like he'd make a better cop than most of the force we have now.

yytttt

Why's that? It seems that the nypd has no trouble shooting people.

mrguy

True, but 1. this guy shot actual criminals, and 2. he actually feels bad about taking another person's life (ie, he has a soul).

kswissreject

I've read about this story a bit now, but I can't help thinking how awesome Gus Augusto is. Way to go, old man! Hope they lock up the other two for a while.

matty

"I was hoping I could have talked them out of it. I'm sorry they're dead but they didn't give me any other choice."

I mean look at the position these kids put him in. This man has to go on for the rest of his life knowing that he has killed. Do you think he wanted that? Man, what a screwed up situation.

I do feel sorry for the store owner. I doubt anyone will convict him.