Chain of sports articles stores Academy Sports Fires NRA manager calls "heroes"

TALLAHASSEE, Florida – A store manager who attacked a client while he was coming out of the store with a rifle and stolen ammunition was fired by Academy Sports, reports the subsidiary from CBS here, WCTV. Dean Crouch was working at the Academy Sports Store in Tallahassee

The National Rifle Association says that Crouch is a "hero".

"My employee shouted:" Stop this man! " "Dean Crouch said of the June 29 incident. "I turned around, looked at myself and saw Mr. White running from the weapons bar to the front of the store with a gun in his hand, I l 'l regard M.,,,, stopped at the front door, I pinned it to the ground, we apprehended it "

Crouch says it was suspended for a week, then returned by conference telephone. He sent an email to the company asking them to reconsider.

No one at the store speaks, but employees referred WCTV to corporate offices in Katy, Texas.

"We are grateful that everyone is safe after the incident and for the fast action of the Tallahassee Police," said the spokeswoman for the Sports Academy Elise Hasbrook in a statement sent to the station more than a week after its initial request for comment. "We put policies in place to protect our team members and clients during a theft, but we took steps inconsistent with our corporate policies."

Arrest Documents Filed with the Clerk of the County of Leon indicate that Jason White asked to see a Glock from the inside of a storefront and, once the employee handed it to him, began to run. The paperwork indicates that Crouch "ran after him, contacting him (the attacker) just after the first doors." The gun flew out of White's hand and was found with a backpack containing other stolen goods, including two magazines and ammunition. Croupton detained White in the director's office until the police arrived.

According to the police report, White told the officer that someone had threatened his family and his children. "I stole it and I admit it," says the report to the police. "I'll fly again when I'm out of jail."

White has repeatedly said that he would shoot someone, according to the police report, and that they would see him in the evening news. "You wait and see", White would have noticed

Court documents show that White was released from prison on July 6th. The court documents indicate that he is on "supervised release" and that he has been ordered to stay away from Academy Sports and Cash America Pawn – which he is accused of. stealing a weapon earlier the same day.

There is video surveillance of the incident, according to the police report, but neither Tallahassee Police nor Academy Sports releases the video. The prosecutor's office is also not saying that it has not yet been made public in the discovery process.

"Our world is pretty much turned around after that," Crouch said. "We had to put our house on the market because of that."

The NRA says that shooting "is madness, this man is a hero," said Marion Hammer of the organization. "He stopped an initial crime that would have led to other crimes, and he is fired … How on earth is this true?"

Crouch says that he has received several job offers as a result of the incident, but still hopes to get his job at Sports Academy

"I loved my job there, "said Crouch.