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The convenience store clerk who foiled an apparent robbery by fatally shooting two Tulsans who police allege had conducted a string of holdups will not be charged, the Tulsa County District Attorneys Office announced Thursday.

Bradley Keeling shot and killed Brian Powell, 27, and Kevin Dobbs, 16, on Jan. 13 after the pair allegedly entered Ryans Convenience Store, 9948 E. 21st St., with the intention to rob it.

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Powell died at the scene and Dobbs died hours later at a Tulsa hospital. Two of their alleged cohorts, Lakeit Thompson and George Williamson, were later arrested and were charged Wednesday under the felony murder statute, which allows prosecutors to hold them legally responsible for any deaths that occurred while they were committing a crime.

Thompson and Williamson also face a number of robbery and assault charges.

Keeling, according to First District Attorney John David Luton, is protected by Oklahomas Stand Your Ground Law.

The Stand Your Ground Law gives Keeling and other Oklahoma business (and home) owners, employees and persons the right to expect absolute safety within their places of business (and homes) and the right to use defensive force likely to cause death or great bodily harm if a person against whom such force was used was in the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering a place of business (or home), he said in a statement.

The law presumes that such a person held a reasonable fear of imminent peril of death or great bodily harm to himself or herself or another when using defensive force, and is justified in using such force and is immune from criminal prosecution, Luton said.

The police investigation into the shooting was quickly turned from a homicide investigation into a robbery investigation, Homicide Sgt. Dave Walker said shortly after Thompson and Williamson were arrested. Surveillance video of the incident inside the store has not been publicly released. Luton said he and District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler will discuss the possible release of that video Friday.

Originally posted here:
Tulsa store clerk who fatally shot two alleged armed robbers won't be charged