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'No one's life is worth a Ford Fusion': Owner of stolen vehicle shoots alleged thief at Fort Mitchell Kroger

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FORT MITCHELL, Ky. — A person is in the hospital after they were shot outside the Kroger in Fort Mitchell, Ky. Tuesday morning, according to police at the scene.

Fort Mitchell police said they were called to the Kroger on Dixie Highway after calls reported shots were fired. When police got there, they found a wrecked vehicle blocking the Kroger's exit and a confrontation between multiple people was ongoing.

Fort Mitchell officers said the initial investigation indicates the owners of a vehicle that was reported stolen in Ohio tracked the vehicle through a cellphone app and found it at the Kroger's fuel pumps.

During an argument, one of the owners of the stolen vehicle pulled out a gun and fired a single shot, hitting the alleged thief in the neck, police said.

Fort Mitchell officers said they believed the shot was fired "in self-defense" because the boyfriend of the shooter had gotten into the passenger side of the stolen car and the alleged thief had attempted to drive away with him still inside. Police on the scene said one person involved in the incident had attempted to drive off, but crashed into another vehicle in the process.

Police did not say how severely the person shot was injured, but they did say that person was hospitalized.

No one was arrested, but Fort Mitchell police said the investigation will be presented to the Kenton County Grand Jury.

"Regardless of whether the Grand Jury chooses to charge the car owner with a criminal offense, this was not the appropriate way for the owner to handle the situation. Ft. Mitchell Kroger is always crowded and we can't have bullets flying through a parking lot full of people or some innocent people are likely to get hurt," said Robert Nader, Fort Mitchell police chief. "The appropriate response would be to call police and let us handle it. No one’s life is worth a Ford Fusion, so let the professionals recover the car to minimize the risk of anyone being injured or killed."

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