Police: Masked suspects try to rob Citgo, shoot customer...

[stevie_d_64]

http://www.khou.com/news/Police-citgo-r ... 28662.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

HOUSTON—Thanksgiving night took a terrifying turn for a store clerk and a customer when two masked suspects barged into a Citgo gas station, demanding money.

But police said the suspects didn’t just go after the cash in the register – they went after a customer, too.

The incident was caught on surveillance tape.

The suspects can be seen on the tape entering the store with their guns drawn, just a customer is pulling out his wallet to pay at the counter.

The tape shows the suspects approaching the counter and demanding money from the register.

Police said the clerk retreated, so one of the suspects turned to the customer and shot him for his wallet.

Meanwhile, the cashier, fearing for his life, crawled into a space under the register.

The tape shows the other suspect sticking what appears to be a gun over the counter and looking for the clerk.

Seconds later, both suspects are seen fleeing the store and disappearing into the night.

The customer who was shot was taken to the hospital via Life Flight. He was in serious condition, police said.

Customer Dave Mullen said he’s been shopping at the store for years. He happened to drop in moments after the shooting.

"And I saw a guy laying on the ground and there was blood on the floor and I just got back in my truck and I left," he said.

The store owner was too scared to talk to 11 News on camera, but he said the holidays are always a dangerous time to be in the convenience store business.

Remember when we used to think that things like this might gradually decrease as more and more people got their CHL's and criminals would think twice or hesitate committing crimes???

It may have been only a thought we had at sometime in our ongoing quest to improve our ability to prepare for something like this, that we obviously hope would never happen to one of us...

Unfortunately it takes something like this to get people to start thinking about why they don't do what they can to protect themselves...

[RHenriksen]

We only have a tiny % of the Texas population holding CHLs. Of that tiny %, how many actually carry daily? I'll wager only a small percentage of that tiny percentage.

Plus, new criminals grow up from children to thugs every year.

I think it'll take a far higher % of CHL-issued *and* daily carrying citizens to have a substantial impact.

I'm doing my part!

[HighVelocity]

C-Stores are on my no-go list. You will never see me inside one.

[dicion]

C-Stores are on my no-go list. You will never see me inside one.

But.. they're Convenient!

In my line of work, I frequently have to stop at a Gas Station/Stop n Rob to fuel up and grab some grub in between sites when I have zero time.

[Kevinf2349]

We only have a tiny % of the Texas population holding CHLs. Of that tiny %, how many actually carry daily? I'll wager only a small percentage of that tiny percentage.

Plus, new criminals grow up from children to thugs every year.

I think it'll take a far higher % of CHL-issued *and* daily carrying citizens to have a substantial impact.

I'm doing my part!

Me too ...... I carry daily. What I don't understand is why Hot Stops don't!

[03Lightningrocks]

We only have a tiny % of the Texas population holding CHLs. Of that tiny %, how many actually carry daily? I'll wager only a small percentage of that tiny percentage.

Plus, new criminals grow up from children to thugs every year.

I think it'll take a far higher % of CHL-issued *and* daily carrying citizens to have a substantial impact.

I'm doing my part!

I will go with this. I carry any and all times I go out. I NEVER disarm....I do mean NEVER. They call it concealed for a reason. Unfortunately....we that carry are such small percentage of the general population the odds are probably greater that an off duty police officer will be in the place than a citizen with a CHL.

[casingpoint]

Just do like the FBI endorses and justifiable homicide their sorry carcass.

[suthdj]

Customer Dave Mullen said he’s been shopping at the store for years. He happened to drop in moments after the shooting.
"And I saw a guy laying on the ground and there was blood on the floor and I just got back in my truck and I left," he said.

Now thats a nice fellow.

[03Lightningrocks]

Customer Dave Mullen said he’s been shopping at the store for years. He happened to drop in moments after the shooting.
"And I saw a guy laying on the ground and there was blood on the floor and I just got back in my truck and I left," he said.

Now thats a nice fellow.

LOL...oh my...I was so distracted by the shooting part of the article, it did not sink in that a guy took off instead of rendering aid. That is pretty crappy of him.

[casingpoint]

a guy took off instead of rendering aid. That is pretty crappy of him.

But understandable in view of the fact he has been emasculated by his own state government in that,assuming no CHL, he is forbidden to carry a firearm or knife with a blade that mean business. Why take it out on this one poor fella who's been preemptively placed in default by the rules in place? Let Rick Perry and the Texas Legislature rectify this situation by empowering and enabling the citizens of Texas to stand up to criminals instead of run away.

[drjoker]

The least that guy who walked away could do is call 911. armed or not, i would call 911 for them and not just drive away. being armed i would cautiously go in and render first aid.

you know the reason we're losing our rights? it's cowardice and laziness. you know, in the 60's people would take to the streets to protest civil rights violations. a violation of our 2nd amendment rights is a civil right / constitutional right violation. yet, nobody pm'ed me to protest grapevine mills mall, even after i offer FREE PIZZA just to show up and wear red/white/blue clothes and an empty open holster. FREE PIZZA, no takers! people in the 60's would've done it for FREE, no pizza enticement needed!

You might be surprised to find that, sadly, that cowardly, lazy guy is US. WE are that cowardly, fat sloth. You might be surprised to find that cowardice, sloth, and a lack of protest is what led those poor Jews to disarm and march into Hitler's camps, it's what led the Commies to victory in China, it's what gave warlord thugs power over the masses in Africa, and it's what will lead this great country into ruin. Our great-grandparents' generation was the last great generation. They worked hard for what they won in life. There was no social security nor food stamps until the 1930's (correcty me if I'm wrong, my history is foggy). They fought evil like NAZIs and won by giving up blood, sweat and tears. If I could be just 1/10th as tough as them, I could survive anything and succeed at anything in life. We modern Americans are lazy, fat, and cowardly. I am not as great as those old-timers, but at least I try. Trouble is, nobody else is even trying. My heart is heavy for I love my country, but it seems that the patriots are asleep at the wheel....

Folks, just dumping a C note every year to the NRA is not enough. They are a political lobbying organization and a fund raising organization, but not much of anything else. They are a single issue organization, but no voter has only ONE issue on their mind. In addition to supporting the NRA, we also need to get out there and stage peaceful protests, to write letters, and talk to our friends & family. You might be surprised to find that if you were to protest as much as liberal environmentalists, then 2nd amendment rights would be at the forefront of the political arena like global warming. If we were to write as much letters as Amnesty International, then we'd win as much political freedom as Nelson Mandela. If we were to talk to as many people as Oprah Winfrey, then we'd get someone in the White House who's a genuine friend of the constitution. Liberals have not slacked, but we have. We got what we deserve. Please, I invite you to get politically active, NOW, before it's too late.



P.S. All of Germany's citizens should've protested against Hitler. Instead, the majority stayed a SILENT majority and allowed a minority of thugs and bullies to take over. In no way am I suggesting that Jews were lazy. I am saying that ALL of Germany was lazy and asleep at the wheel.

[03Lightningrocks]

The United States citizens were not so quick to take on the Nazi's. It took Pearl Harbor to make the masses mad enough to do something about it...kind of like 9/11 and the Muslim terrorists. We tried to avoid Hitler as we watched him invade country after country and we sat back and ignored terrorist activity as long as it remained on the other guys porch. Unfortunately it is quite common for Americans to stick our head in the sand. As far back as the war for independence, Americans waited until they were forced into a fight. This guy behaved just as would be expected. As someone posted earlier, our rules for firearms have left the masses unarmed and I can't really fault an unarmed guy for retreating, but I do fault him for not calling 911 as he was fleeing the parking lot. On the other hand...I am stupid and I would have stayed and tried to help somehow. If I did not have a gun I would have grabbed something to fight off a bad guy with and might have even gotten shot...but my whole life I have charged into conflict rather than retreat from it.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

I'd like to bring up the details of this robbery and what happened to the customer.

The bad guys burst into the store on a run, just as the customer had his wallet open
to get his cash out. Although the robber pushes the customer out of camera view,
it appears that the robber saw the open wallet, and immediately went after it by
shooting the customer.

If one of us had been that customer, the jury is out if we would be able to draw and
shoot before the bad guy shot us.

Depending on just how immediate and incapacitating the bad guy's shot into us was,
we would have to keep "fighting spirit" in mind, and try to draw and shoot at some point,
as long as we had the ability to do so.

The clerk was the one in a better position to offer armed resistance if he had a gun since
at least the counter was between him and the bad guy that was after him.
Although the bad guy had a scatter gun and could have inflicted some damage on the clerk.

SIA

[yerasimos]

Instead of attempting to draw upon a man already pointing a gun at you, the customer may have been better off averting the robber's gun muzzle, stripping the gun away and pushing the robber into his accomplice, who I expect was pointing his gun in the direction of the store clerk. Then, if he had the skills and a gun of his own, he could draw and either shoot one or both robbers or hold them at gunpoint. Without a gun, he would have to take his chances running out of the store while the robbers are recovering from the customer's escape gambit.

Then again, I have not seen the video, so I could be off base here. I would appreciate a link to the video, if available (I cannot find it at khou.com).

[suthdj]

Then again, I have not seen the video, so I could be off base here. I would appreciate a link to the video, if available (I cannot find it at khou.com).

The video is in the link.