Masked, hooded crook tries to steal gun from gun store — while armed with hammer, cops say. Gun store owner, however, wields much deadlier weapon.

A masked, hooded man tried to steal a gun from a gun store in Livermore, California, on Sunday — and did so while armed with a hammer, police said.

As you might imagine, the gun store owner had a much deadlier weapon at his disposal and fatally shot the would-be robber, police said.

What are the details?

Police said their investigation revealed that a 28-year-old man from Redwood City entered East Bay Firearms in the 4000 block of First Street around 2:30 p.m. wearing a mask, gloves, and a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head while "acting suspicious."

The man then tried to rob the gun store by taking a firearm while armed with a hammer, police said, citing witness statements.

Police said the gun store owner fired two rounds, fatally wounding the main.

Police said they found the man suffering from a gunshot wound when they arrived at the scene, and they, along with paramedics, performed lifesaving measures, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the gun store owner is cooperating with the investigation and is not a suspect in a crime at this time — and that it appears this was a case of self-defense.

Anything else?

Five customers were in the store at the time of the incident, and police said they were not hurt. Livermore Police’s Criminal Investigations Bureau is continuing the investigation, and detectives are following up on leads, authorities said.

The Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau will be releasing the name of the man pending notification of next of kin, police said, adding that anyone with information about the case can call the Livermore Police Department’s anonymous tip line at 925-371-4790.

How are folks reacting?

Commenters on the police department's X post regarding the incident seem decidedly pleased with how it ended:

• "Outcome-based education," one commenter wrote.
• "Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight [check mark]," another user quipped. "Don’t bring a hammer to a gunfight [check mark]."
• "Great," another commenter said. "Justice is served."
• "Darwin WINNING bigly!" another user declared.

In addition, some commenters also issued warnings about what might happen next:

• "That is all good, but your radical extremist DA will blame the gun store since they dared to exist," one user said.
• "Follow this story," another commenter noted. "This man’s store will be out of business in six months, and there’s a high probability he will be in jail."

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