Holly MatkinHouston, TX – A manhunt is underway for a gunman who callously shot a convenience store clerk in the face without warning during a failed robbery attempt Monday night (video below).
The attack occurred at a Chevron station located in the 8600-block of Memorial Drive, KHOU reported.
According to police, a heavyset black male with a beard and a black jacket drove up to the store in a black, two-door Mercedes Benz, KTRK reported.
The suspect walked over to the counter and leaned on it casually as the clerk approached him, surveillance footage showed.
Without saying a word, he then abruptly pointed a gun at the clerk’s face and shot him, police said.
The victim was hit in his face and hand, KHOU reported.
“That’s the shocking thing. He doesn’t even demand anything,” Houston Police Department (HPD) Lieutenant Pavel said. “He just goes right up to him, and shoots him right in the head. It’s crazy. I just can’t believe it.”
The clerk immediately fell backwards onto the floor but jumped to his feet a second later, the video showed.
By that time, the suspect was crawling over the counter.
The gunman repeatedly punched the wounded victim in the head before unsuccessfully trying to break into the store’s cash register, the video showed.
Police said the clerk managed to escape outside, where he was spotted by a motorist, KTRK reported.
The driver contacted police and the wounded victim was rushed to the hospital.
His family said he has a bullet lodged in his neck and is in critical condition, but that he is expected to survive, KHOU reported.
They said he is alert and able to speak.
The gas station owner said the clerk has been on the job for about six months.
A search is underway for the gunman, who fled the scene in the Mercedes Benz, KHOU reported.
An award of up to $5,000 is being offered for information leading to the suspect’s arrest.
Watch the incident unfold in the video below. Warning – Graphic Content:
Video shows moment gas station clerk was SHOT IN THE FACE without warning Monday night in #Houston, Texas. pic.twitter.com/QGtpvu1kFc
— TheDayum🔺 (@TheDayumOficial) December 8, 2021
