Wig-wearing man arrested for using NES Zapper gun to rob store

Michael Gwilliam
man arrested for robbing store with nes zapper

Police have arrested a wild gunman for robbing a store by using an NES Zapper.

When it comes to video game accessories, there may be none more iconic than the NES Zapper – a special controller that launched alongside the Nintendo console.

The faux firearm is a relic of the past, commonly used for shooting at ducks and clay pigeons in the classic 1984 light gun game Duck Hunt.

However, one man decided to use the accessory in a nefarious manner. The man, a possible fan of The Rolling Stones, painted the Zapper black and proceeded to rob the Sharon Kwik Stop.

Man arrested for robbing store with NES Zapper

According to authorities, on Tuesday, 25-year-old David Joseph Dalesandro walked into the shop wearing a wig and mask. He then showed a clerk the black Zapper, pretending it was a real gun and demanded money from the register.

Dalesandro then stole $300 from the business, but couldn’t get far, as authorities were able to find the wild gunman a bit further down the street and promptly arrested him at a Dollar General.

duck hunt dog
The NES Zapper is most famous for Duck Hunt.

The Zapper doesn’t exactly resemble an actual gun, especially with its orange trigger, but it’s easy to see why, in a pinch, one can easily mistake it for a real firearm.

The accessory’s legacy has spawned quite a few knockoffs over the years, but none were able to become quite as iconic as the Duck Hunt gun.

While Duck Hunt never got a sequel, the character ended up being a surprise character in Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS – one of the fighting game’s more bizarre members of its roster.

About The Author

Michael Gwilliam is a senior writer at Dexerto based in Ontario, Canada. He specializes in Overwatch, Smash, influencers, and Twitch culture. Gwilliam has written for sites across Canada including the Toronto Sun. You can contact him at michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com or on Twitter @TheGwilliam