A Texas gas station worker is dead after he was gunned down chasing shoplifters who stole a bag of chips, Fox 26 reports.
The incident happened Friday in Humble, Texas, northeast of Houston. Security camera footage shows that shortly before 11:30 a.m., two men entered the Sunoco gas station on Highway 59, followed by the employee.
The men walked around the store before one of them grabbed a bag of chips and put it in his pants. They continued to pace the aisles as the clerk mopped the floor.
A short time later, the men left the store and the clerk confronted them outside. When the men walked away, the employee followed them in his vehicle.
“They started shooting at him, in which he tried to reverse his car and ended up on the median over there,” Humble Assistant Police Chief Dan Zientek said at a press conference, according to KPRC-TV.
At least one of the bullets struck the employee, who died in the front seat of his vehicle, and the two men fled. Police are still working to identify and arrest them, KHOU-TV reports.
The 42-year-old employee had worked at the convenience store for just a few months.
Security camera footage shows the suspects were Black males wearing dark jackets or hoodies. They could face charges of capital murder.
‘“No one ever anticipates just going to work that day and not coming home,” Zientek said, according to KPRC-TV. “You’ve lost a great citizen who’s just trying to work and do their job, and instead we have two people that also have ruined their lives because they will be going to jail.”
He added: “It’s tragic in many aspects. It’s tragic all the way around.”
To report information about the suspects, call the Humble Police Department at 281-446-7127 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Listen to the latest episode:
[Feature Photo: The suspects inside the convenience store/Humble Police Department]
