Store clerk shot, sent to trauma center
Published 2:14 pm Thursday, September 27, 2018
By LANCE MARTIN
rrspin.com
ROANOKE RAPIDS – A store clerk underwent surgery yesterday (Wednesday) after being shot here during an early morning armed robbery.
The clerk was shot once in an undisclosed part of the body and the injury is considered life-threatening, Roanoke Rapids Police Chief Chuck Hasty said.
The robbery occurred at New Dixie Mart in the 100 block of Julian R. Allsbrook Highway around 12:45 a.m. The store is traditionally known as Presto.
Hasty said in a statement employees told officers the suspects entered the store armed with handguns and demanded money.
During the robbery, one of the suspects jumped the counter while the other suspect ran to the back and went behind the counter.
This still image taken from a surveillance camera shows two armed suspects behind the counter on Wednesday morning at the New Dixie Mart in Roanoke Rapids.
The suspects demanded the clerks open the safe at which time the clerks advised they did not have access to the safe.
One of the suspects struck the employee in the head with a handgun. The suspects proceeded to take money and cigarettes.
When the suspects were exiting the store, one returned back to the counter and shot the employee who had initially been struck in the head with the weapon.
The suspects then fled on foot down Hamilton Street towards Clinton Street where they fled in an unknown vehicle and in an unknown direction of travel.
The employee was transported by Halifax County EMS to Halifax Regional Medical Center and then transported to a trauma center for treatment of the injuries.
Both of the gunmen are described as black males, each about 5’-5” tall. One was wearing a grey sweatshirt, charcoal gray pants, a white surgical mask around his face and blue rubber gloves. The other was in a grey hoodie and black pants, with a red garment around his head and blue rubber gloves.
The suspects in the photos taken from the store’s security cameras bear a resemblance to suspects wanted in an armed robbery in Weldon last week.
The Weldon robbery occurred shortly before 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 17 at a store in the 200 block of East Second Street.
Weldon Police Chief Chris Davis said an undisclosed amount of money was taken.
Both suspects had handguns.
Davis said one of the suspects appears to have the hood of a sweatshirt pulled tightly over the face while the other appears to have a red shirt covering the face.
He said it is possible they may have left the scene in a vehicle.
In both cases, police say the suspects are considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached. Contact law enforcement to let them know the location.
Those with information on either robbery is encouraged to contact Roanoke Rapids Police Captain Bobby Martin at 252-533-2820; Weldon Police Sgt. T.L. Mason at 252-536-1154; or Crimestoppers at 252-583-4444.
(Lance Martin is the Editor and Publisher of www.rrspin.com. Permission was received to publish this story.)
