Overview
- Police say a customer grabbed two handguns from Action Impact and ran from the store during a July 19 robbery while an employee chased after him and shots were fired.
- Investigators reviewed store surveillance and found the employee returned to the shop, removed a store firearm, hid the gun he had fired in a desk drawer, and swapped it with a weapon on the wall.
- Forensic analysis tied shell casings at the scene to the handgun found in the drawer, and prosecutors authorized charges against 67-year-old employee Thomas Beck for tampering with evidence and lying to a peace officer.
- The alleged robber, 33-year-old Marquise Massey of Detroit, was arrested on weapons and larceny charges and one of the two stolen guns was recovered while the other remains unaccounted for.
- The store owner defended the employee’s decision to pursue the suspect, and police say the case highlights how video and forensic review can change an initial account and may lead to additional charges or policy scrutiny.