Would-be robber shoots himself in the foot

CHERRYVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Police say a man who planned to rob a convenience store in Gaston County was foiled when he shot himself in the foot.

An arrest warrant states 28-year-old Kelvin Ethelbert Roberts dropped a .45-caliber handgun in front of the store in Cherryville and it went off, with a bullet striking his right foot.

Roberts faces several charges that include attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon and possession of a weapon of mass destruction. Police say the handgun had been altered to fire .410 shotgun shells.

Authorities say it was illegal for Roberts to have a gun because of a felony cocaine possession conviction in 2002 in New York.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)