MERCED, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Merced Police are asking for the public’s help to find a pair of suspects involved in an armed robbery Tuesday morning, one of which they say shot a convenience store clerk in the chest.
At approximately 3:07 a.m., police received a call from the clerk himself at the 7-Eleven in the 2200 block of East Gerard Avenue who told them he had been shot in the chest.
The clerk was airlifted to a hospital in Modesto, he is listed in stable condition and is expected to be okay.
Upon reviewing surveillance video, police say an unidentified man could be seen walking into the store with a handgun demanding money from the register, as a lookout could be seen outside.
They say once the clerk surrendered the cash the suspect fired a single shot and he and his accomplice took off.
They still haven’t been found, as Merced Police say they’re doing everything they can to get the shooter and his accomplice off the streets.
“We definitely don’t want a person like this out in the streets. They’re obviously a danger. I mean, somebody who’s going to callously shoot the clerk after getting the money in a robbery, obviously their intention is to just inflict harm on the community and we don’t want that,” said Lt. Joey Perez with the Merced Police Department.
Soon after the shooting took place, detectives learned the alleged shooter may have fled less than a mile down the road to the Merced Inn and Suites.
A SWAT team was called in to search the property, as nearby Golden Valley High School was placed on lockdown.
However, even after the SWAT team went door to door, they came up empty-handed.
Now, the search is continuing.
“Right now we’re canvassing through the neighborhoods, looking at video surveillance to see if we can trace where the suspect went after the robbery,” said Lt. Perez.
If you know anything about the shooting or where the suspects may have gone you’re asked to call Merced Police at (209) 385-6998 or (209) 388-7844.
