Pawn shop robbery leaves one suspect dead in northeast Houston

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- One suspect is dead, two are in custody and another is still on the run after a wild shootout between robbers and the owner of a northeast Houston pawn shop.

The gunmen entered Diamond Pawn, in the 8900 block of Jensen, at about 12:20pm Monday. Police say the owner of the store, who has a concealed handgun license, began firing at them as soon as they pulled their weapons and began firing at him. There were customers inside and outside the store. At least two of them were hit in the hail of gunfire.

One of the gunmen was rushed from the scene to LBJ Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police say the other three suspects fled. They struck at least one vehicle with theirs as they made their get-away. Investigators say one of the suspects may have been responsible for a nearby carjacking on Jensen at about the same time as the robbery attempt. In that incident, a man was dragged down Jensen while trying to hold on to his car as the thief was speeding away in it.

One eyewitness who doesn't want to be identified calls the shooting "senseless." He was inside the pawn shop as the shooting began. "I didn't really think it was real at first, until I heard the first shot. We kind of go about our day, every day, living our lives. Really, I wasn't expecting nothing like this to happen," he said.

Police are still looking for one suspect. There are surveillance cameras at the pawn shop. It's unclear if they captured video of the attempted robbery.