PSA: For The Love Of God, Stop Robbing All The Family Dollar Stores in Amarillo

Have you robbed a Family Dollar store in Amarillo, Texas?

If the answer is yes, then stop it. Just stop.

Last Week's Robbery Was Just One Incident

There's a reason I sound flustered. See, when I read the news about last week's robbery at the Family Dollar store on 1000 S. Grand, something about it tickled my memory.

The suspect hasn't been identified or arrested, so there was no reason for the incident to stand out to me. Then I thought to myself, I think there was another robbery at one of the Family Dollar stores here recently. Surely that's it.

Because I'm a sensible man, I headed to Google to see when it had happened.

It Happened Too Many Damn Times

Think I'm joking? Keep reading. This is just what Google alone gave me.

• June 5, 2009 - Man with a handgun came into the Martin Road location
• December 18, 2012 - Robbery at the store on 433 S. Western.
• May 29, 2013 - John Martin Vasquez, 25, was arrested in connection of a robbery at Walmart as well as the Family Dollar store at 2500 SW 10th.
• February 9, 2015 - Family Dollar store on Western
• March 18, 2015 - Robbery at 9:15 pm at 403 S. Western
• April 27, 2015 - the River Road store
• April 29, 2015 - two days later, at the Western street store
• June 10, 2015 - Robbery at the Martin Road store--this time, an employee was hit as the suspect fled.
• April 14, 2017 - Robbery at the store on 1000 S Grand
• May 31, 2017 - Three ladies arrested in connection to the robbery of the Martin Road location
• January 14, 2018 - Robbery reported at the store on 2500 SW 10th
• June 14, 2022 - Two women reported to have robbed the 2500 SW 10th store
• October 23, 2022 - Shane Ray Bursie arrested for the robbery of the 2500 SW 10th store

Now, I'll stop at that last one because it's probably the one that everybody should take notes on.

Why is that, you ask?

Family Dollar Got Fed Up With Getting Robbed

That's right. After Shane Ray Bursie fired a shot at a bystander and then made off with $1,347 cash from the register--Family Dollar decided they were done.

So, when Bursie was picked up by the police, he soon found out that he would be facing federal charges for that stick-up. In fact, just a few months ago, he appeared in federal court to plead guilty to "one count of affecting commerce by robbery and one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence".

He's facing 20 years on the first charge, and a life sentence on the firearm charge. And yes, Family Dollar sure can do that--especially if they can show the government that they lost out on profits due to having to suspend operations at that particular location following the incident.

As for whoever robbed the store last week: Maybe the Feds will get you, too.