Smoke shop owner dies fighting back in robbery; 3 armed suspects on the run

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A smoke shop owner is dead after he tried to fight back during a robbery in north Harris County last night, authorities say.

The robbery happened at the H-Town Smoke Shop at 1550 Aldine Bender Road around 6pm.

That's when authorities say three armed men entered the shop and robbed the clerk at gunpoint. However, at one point during the robbery, the shop owner and the suspects got into a scuffle and the store owner was shot. He died a few feet away from the business.

The suspects, described as three black men between 18 and 20 years old, fled the scene.

One of the suspects had brown dreadlocks with blonde tips and was wearing a hoodie and shorts. A second suspect also had brown dread locks and was wearing a hoodie and shorts. The third suspect wore a long, brown afro that was tied back in a ponytail. He too was wearing a hoodie and shorts.

Anyone with information about the identity and/or location of these suspects is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477), the Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Division at (713) 967-5810, or submit a tip via iWatchHarrisCounty.