We wrote about a recent burglary in Des Moines in which a store owner arrived at his business, only to find Amund Benjamin Haarstad in the process of relieving him of some of his inventory. The store owner shot and killed Haarstad.
Now, as happens so often these situations . . .
Family members of a man slain in an apparent burglary attempt said he never should have been shot and killed, admitting wrongdoing by both parties involved. The fatal shooting happened just after 7:15 a.m. Wednesday at Kraft Imports and 5 Star Muffler in the 1400 block of Army Post Road on Des Moines’ south side.
According to Haarstad’s sister, her brother “doesn’t have a history of violence.” Except, of course, that isn’t really true. Harstaad was a junkie who had served time for attacking a man with a screwdriver.
The store owner isn’t completely in the clear yet.
It’s unclear exactly what led up to the shooting. Des Moines police said there are still a lot of things to figure out, and they’re not calling it a “stand your ground” case just yet. A decision on any charges will come from the Polk County Attorney’s Office.
In the mean time, Haarstad’s family think the store owner should have…well…it’s not really clear how they think he should have handled the situation.
“It’s just hard,” his sister said. “I just want people to know that he was human, too.”
That’s certainly true. It’s also true that her all-too-human brother chose to break into another human’s business and, in all likelihood, threaten him when he was caught.
(Des Moines police Sgt. Paul) Parizek shared a message for anyone considering a life of crime.
“You never know when you’re going to pick the wrong business and you’re going to encounter the wrong business (owner) that’s got their heels dug in,” he said. “They’re going to protect their property and themselves, and this is the type of thing that may happen,” he said.
Words to live by.