Store owner defends herself with gun

Savannah/Hilton Head, South Carolina (Wednesday, July 26, 2006) -- “They knew I meant business,” Florence Tolar said, as she remembered the Friday morning encounter.

Her size and sweet demeanor don’t keep her from standing her ground.

“I kept my position just in case those boys came out. I had every opportunity to shoot them,” she said.

She chose to fire her gun at the floor as she was confronted by four young men who were fleeing from police Friday. It’s a choice she says could have easily turned fatal.

"I had to make the decision,” she said. “And I'll tell you- if those boys would have been a little bit taller, a little bit bigger, I would have shot them. And I would have killed them."

“My wife really surprised me, “ Herb Tolar said. “I’m really proud of her that she did what she did.” . . .