NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WXIN) — An 88-year-old Tennessee liquor store owner has been charged after allegedly shooting a man she thought was a thief, The Charlotte Observer reported.
“I did what I had to do, and I hope word gets out on the street that I’m fed up and I’m not taking it anymore,” May Boyce told the New York Post on Saturday. “You’ve got to stick up for yourself sometimes.”
Boyce, owner of Murfreesboro Road Liquor and Wines since 1994, told police on June 16 that she confronted a man who had gone behind the counter where she keeps the vodka and grabbed a few bottles.
She said the man, who had come in with another man, lunged at her and ran toward the exit.
According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by The Charlotte Observer, Boyce pointed her gun towards the floor in the direction of the fleeing man and fired once. The man said he was shot and fell into a stack of bottles, and the other man helped him out of the store.
The wounded man went to a local hospital to be treated for his injuries. He is expected to recover, authorities told The Charlotte Observer.
Police interviewed him at the hospital, and he initially said he and his friend intended to steal the liquor. He later retracted that statement and said he had intended to pay for the liquor and denied fleeing the store.
The Metro Nashville Police Department arrested May Boyce on an aggravated assault charge. She was released on a $10,000 bond Thursday evening.
