The Washington Post reports that a 23-year-old would-be armed robber has died after sustaining injuries to the head when his victim fought back with a large rock.
The Post says that two men from the DMV area, Tauron Williamson, 23, and Tyron Wheeler, 22, were trying to rob two men on April 22. Wheeler was able to shoot one of the men, but the second victim fought back and evaded injury from the aggressors.
At first, authorities believed that Williamson had been shot, but an autopsy showed his death was due to being pummeled on the head with blunt force. The incident took place in Prince George County, MD.
Wheeler was charged with "with attempted murder, armed robbery, and related charges, and is in the custody of the Department of Corrections on a no-bond status." The man who killed Williamson was not pressed with charges as police determined he acted in self-defense.
Death from rocks is more common than one might think. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's most recent statistics indicate that 454 people were killed on average each year between 2013 and 2017 via objects like rocks, hammers, and other blunt objects. By comparison, 679 people are killed per year from personal weapons -- meaning hands, fists, feet, etc.. During that same period, 13,739 were killed from all types of firearms.
According to the Post, "[m]ore than 90 people have been killed in the D.C. region this year, according to tracking done by The Washington Post. Of those, 25 have been in Prince George’s County." Washington, DC continues to remain one of the country's most dangerous cities. Some studies show that you the capital's crime rate is "86% higher than the US average" and that you have a 1 in 20 chance of being the victim of a crime.