Mixed Up Justice: Shoplifter Sues Shop-Owner Who Shot Him

Bryson Adrian Dewberry, a shoplifter in Denver was shot in the face after robbing a local liquor store, which is a response to shoplifting that people sometimes have. Except Dewberry is now suing the store-owner who shot him because he believes committing crime should be safe.

He was shot in the jaw by Chang Ho Yi, the owner of Austin Bluffs Plaza Liquor on October 25, 2010 the newspaper reported.

According to the lawsuit, Yi saw the theft and pursued Dewberry out of the store with a loaded .357 revolver. Dewberry was hit while in the backseat of a getaway car.  The bullet hit Dewberry in the chest and his jaw. Police said at the time another person, a 17-year-old, was hit by the bullet.  Dewberry and the 17-year-old showed up at a Colorado Springs hospital and told a story about getting shot while shoplifting, according to police.  The lawsuit claims Yi behaved “negligently and recklessly” when the shoplifter posed no physical threat.  Yi was initially charged in the case, but a grand jury declined to charge him.  Dewberry has several run-ins with police in the past. He wasn’t charged in the incident.

According to the lawsuit, Dewberry has been disfigured and suffered wounds that require ongoing speech therapy.  Dewberry is asking for at least $100,000 to make him feel better about being shot and not getting that bottle of vodka he was trying to steal.