ROANOKE, Va. – A store clerk suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being shot Thursday night at a corner store in Roanoke’s Norwich community, police said.
The incident occurred around 9:04 p.m. at the One Stop Market, located at the intersection of Roanoke Avenue and Bridge Street Southwest.
“I had just left, and he came in here and I guess stood at the counter and went around and shot the dude in the foot,” said Richard Goodwin, a neighborhood resident who had been at the store shortly before the incident.
According to Goodwin, the suspect fled without stealing anything. “He didn’t even steal anything. And then he rolled out and left and went around the back side of the building and took off running,” he said.
The shooting has rattled residents in what they describe as a typically quiet neighborhood.
“It makes me think that he could’ve shot me or anybody else. That being said, we have to watch out around here now,” Goodwin said.
The store reopened the following day. In speaking with store workers, they said they didn’t know the alleged shooter. They identified the injured clerk as a man who goes by the name of Allen, whom neighbors and coworkers described as “a good person.”
David Hull, an eight-year resident of the area, expressed concern about the violence. “I just don’t like the shooting one bit. It’s just really crazy to hear something like that. I feel sorry for the owner,” Hull said.
The Roanoke Police Department has released images of the suspect and is seeking public assistance in identifying them. Anyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact the Roanoke Police Department at (540) 344-8500.