Shirley man who spared robber gets apology, $50

The Shirley convenience store owner who made national headlines in June after surveillance cameras caught him showing mercy to a subdued would-be robber says he lives by a simple rule: "When you do good things, good things come back."

So Mohammad Sohail said he was not surprised when he found a $50 bill and an apology note in the mail Wednesday.

The note did not include a signature, but the writer identified himself as the man who attempted to rob Sohail and it thanked him for handing over $40 and a loaf of bread.

A surveillance video showed Sohail pointing a rifle at a cowering masked man, then handing him cash and the bread.

The note and cash arrived in a nondescript white envelope with no return address, Sohail said.

"If he was a real criminal, he wouldn't have sent me that letter," Sohail said.

>>VIDEO: Click here to see Sohail's reaction to the letter

Suffolk police have said they are still looking for the would-be thief, who left the store after his encounter with Sohail.

The letter opens with the words "you change my life" and goes on to say that the man has a new job "and a new child." It also states he is "staying out of trouble and taking care of " his family.

Sohail said he plans to put the money toward a charity foundation he hopes to launch. He has said he received a few checks totaling $180 in the mail after his actions made the news.