Antonio Garcia and Ronnie Lawson - the Tragedy of Thievery in Canton, Ohio

Antonio Garcia, age 23, and Ronnie Lawson, age 21, both of Canton, Ohio, died on September 22, 2014. 

Antonio Garcia (L);  Ronnie Lawson (R)

They were shot and killed during a robbery that they instigated. 

At about 9:30 p.m., Antonio Garcia, Ronnie Lawson and a third man entered a gas station and convenience store in Canton. They wore masks and were armed. They were intending to rob the store. 

A confrontation broke out between a clerk at the store, named Lance, and the thieves.  Gunfire erupted.  The store clerk was shot in the legs and the hip. He fired back and shot two of the robbers. All three of the thieves fled the scene on foot.

   

Police found Antonio Garcia and Ronnie Lawson near the store. Both men were rushed to local hospitals but sadly died of their wounds. 

The third robber escaped and has not been identified as of this posting. 

The store clerk will recover from his injuries.

Anyone with any information about the robbery is asked to contact Canton detectives at 330-489-3144. Anonymous tips can be sent through Tip411. Sign up for Tip411 at ww.cantonohio.gov/police.

A candlelight vigil was held for Antonio Garcia and Ronnie Lawson by loved ones

God save us from the thieves who
want to kill us for money. 

who stated that they did not want Antonio and Ronnie defined by "that act".  They wanted people to realize that these men made bad decisions and that the mourners didn't want negativity interjected into the scenario. They wanted these men remembered by their personal lives and not by their recent criminal actions. 

Of course, Antonio Garcia and Ronnie Lawson are defined by "that act" and by their recent criminal actions. If you go into a business with a mask on, armed with guns, with the intention of robbing it, you are a thief.  You are also a potential murderer. 

There are numerous write-ups on this blog regarding store clerks who have been shot or stabbed to death by thieves robbing the places in which they work.  They died while working at low paying jobs, on night shifts, because a thief wanted money for free.  Many of them have been found on the floor, covered in blood.  The families of these murdered store clerks are weeping for them still. 

Oceans of tears have been shed for murdered store clerks. 

If you threaten a store clerk's life by shooting at them, and if he or she has a gun, you may be killed by them or you may be killed by the Police who respond to the crime scene.

Everyone lost in this Canton, Ohio scenario:

Two young men have died who could have done something productive with their lives, but they chose not to.  They made decisions that ended their lives instead.

The store clerk will forever bear the stigma of having killed two men.  He will always have this tragedy at the back of his mind.  

God save us from the thieves.  They are trying to kill us, Father.  Amen.