Jury clears Dollar General clerk of manslaughter after shooting, killing armed robber

MONROE, La. (KNOE/Gray News) - A Dollar General store clerk in Louisiana has been cleared of a manslaughter charge after a grand jury found there was not enough evidence in the case.

Rafus Anderson was charged with manslaughter after shooting and killing an armed robbery suspect in January.

According to the Monroe Police Department, they responded to an armed robbery call at the store located in Monroe on Jan. 2.

Authorities said Anderson shot the robber, later identified as Monquarius Thomas, and they found him outside of the store on the ground with the money he was accused of taking.

Thomas ended up dying.

A customer was also shot in the robbery attempt but was treated at a hospital and released.

Police said Anderson told them he was acting in self-defense while protecting the customers in the store. He said he was afraid that Thomas was going to kill him when he pulled out a gun.

On Friday, a grand jury rejected the charges against Anderson.

The store clerk told police in January that this was the sixth armed robbery at the store since August 2022.

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