A work day like any other nearly turned deadly for Rickey Smotherman, 53 of Woodbury.

"God's got more from me here on this earth because if he hadn't I'd be gone," Smotherman said.

Thursday evening, the owner of Leland’s furniture and Home Décor on Main Street looked up from his register and directly into the barrel of a gun.  Behind it was a 13-year-old would-be robber and Smotherman made a bold decision to try to wrestle the gun from the teen's hands.

"We spent about four or five minutes scuffling on the floor until I finally got him out the door," Smotherman said.

Smotherman says the struggle spilled out of his store and onto the sidewalk and that's when the suspect fired and ran off up the street.

"Then I fell to my side and I felt the wetness and it was blood you [and I thought] I've been shot," Smotherman said.

He was taken to the emergency room where he was told that luckily, the bullet only grazed his torso and finally had a moment to reflect on his impulsive actions.

"It wasn't bravery," Smotherman said.  "It was stupidity, if I had it to do over again I would have given him the 55, 60 dollars."

Police quickly caught the accused shooter and Smotherman says even though he was nearly killed, he still has sympathy for the teen.

"It's very sad for a 13-year-old to get to that level," Smotherman said.  "You know his whole life is ruined now."

But he says not to mistake his sympathy for weakness.

"It's like a wake-up call," Smotherman said.  "I was unprepared last night but let's just put it this way, I won't be unprepared anymore."

Woodbury police say the 13-year-old is in custody and faces attempted murder and robbery charges.
Store Owner Takes a Bullet for His Business - Eric Alvarez