Robbery suspect pepper-sprayed Norwalk store owner, who shot him, authorities say; suspect ID'd

A robbery suspect who was shot and killed by the owner of a tobacco shop in Norwalk on Tuesday has been identified as Rodney Gaston, 25, of Oakland.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrived at the shopping center in the 1000 block of Firestone Boulevard that morning to find Gaston lying on the ground with a bullet wound to his torso.

He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The owner of the Classic Tobacco, who was not named in a statement released by the Sheriff's Department on Sunday, told deputies that he shot the man during a robbery attempt .

The owner said he was in the process of opening his store Tuesday morning when Gaston approached him holding a large canister of pepper spray and a handgun, according to the statement.

Two other men were following behind Gaston, the owner said.

After Gaston pepper-sprayed the store owner near the entrance to the shop, he said he fired a single round from his own handgun, hitting Gaston.

The two other men fled to a residential neighborhood northeast of the shopping center, where they were eventually detained by deputies.

Deputies identified them as Lamont Neal, 22, of Stockton and Dashaunte Woods, 26, of Oakland. Neal and Woods have been charged with robbery, according to the Sheriff's Department.

Gaston attempted to flee, too, but quickly collapsed.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .