Tobacco store clerk shot during robbery in north Houston

HOUSTON

According to investigators, the shooting happened during a robbery around 9am at the Tobacco Mart on Little York near the North Freeway.

The business has a drive-thru window, but police believe the suspect walked in the front door, confronted the clerk and shot him.

By the time officers got to the scene, the suspect was long gone.

Ruby Watkins says her friend was waiting at the drive-thru during the robbery.

"The man didn't come to the door; I mean, the window," Watkins said. "And then she says she hears, 'pow.' And when the man came to the window, he was full of blood and she called 911."

Officials tell us the store clerk was rushed to the hospital with at one gunshot to the stomach area, but he is expected to survive.

Police are still trying to piece together what happened. Officers spent the morning talking to witnesses.

The brazen robbery and shooting happened in broad daylight in a fairly busy shopping center.

"That's why I stay in the house," Watckins said. "I don't come out unless I have to."

Police right now don't have a lot of information about the suspect. They're asking anyone who might have witnessed the shooting or the moments immediately afterward to give them a call.

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