Robber Uses AK-47 in Fitchburg Store

We're not sure what to make of this one. A man walked into the Boomtown Variety Store early this morning and held up the clerk using an AK-47. He shot the clerk in the hand and took off.

Channel 4 has a good wrapup this morning.

This is a disturbing story on a couple of levels. It's a reminder that the police can't be everywhere all the time. This poor clerk -- reportedly on his first night on the job -- is all alone at 2:30 in the morning. Fitchburg police have taken a pounding for not being on top of crime in the city, but this fits more in the "these things happen" category. It appears from all reports the police are pulling out the stops to find this guy.

More importantly -- and more disturbing -- is the fact that guys are toting around AK-47s in Fitchburg. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about the rifles (as always, take Wiki's words with a grain of salt, but this seems pretty straightforward).

Except for the guy shot in the hand and his boss (and the guy working the overnight tonight, although it sounds like the Boomtown's all-night hours might be ending), this is a psychological issue for the rest of Fitchburg. AK-47 automatically conjures up the crazy, aggressive, out-of-control criminal or gang member image. It's magnified in this case in that the guy actually shot the gun.

Hopefully there aren't too many of these things floating around the city, and hopefully police make a point to squeeze those who might know about these things -- well-connected local criminals, a gang member or two -- to identify where they might be and get rid of them.