in may  a surplus store manager observed a minor spur-of-the-moment theft by william harris who had been shopping with emily harris while hearst waited across the road in a van accompanied by a female employee the manager followed him out and confronted him during the ensuing scuffle one of harriss wrists was restrained and his pistol fell out of his waistband hearst who had been taught to use guns by her father discharged the entire magazine of an automatic carbine into the overhead storefront causing the manager to dive behind a lightpost when he tried to shoot back with the pistol hearst now firing single shots with another weapon brought her fire closer blasting fragments around him and holing the light post