Robber who shot Spanaway clerk suspect in other crimes

SPANAWAY, Wash. — The armed robbery suspect who shot and wounded a 30-year-old convenience store clerk in Spanaway Thursday afternoon is now also a suspect in several other robberies in the area.

According to another store clerk who was also shot during a robbery attempt Saturday, there’s one clue in surveillance images which seem to link the incidents together.

In every image, the suspect is shown pointing the gun at the clerk with his left hand.

Pierce County deputies captured the suspect and a female, who they suspect was the getaway driver, a few miles away.  They had parked at a gas station at South 84th Street and South Hosmer Street in Tacoma. A child who was in the car was taken into protective custody.

Deputies say the female clerk who was shot Thursday afternoon was treated and released suffering from a bullet wound in her abdomen. Deputies say she may have fired at the suspect during the confrontation.

Don, a clerk at the Spanaway Deli on 22nd Avenue East in Tacoma who didn’t want his last name used, told KIRO 7 he’s certain the same suspect seen on surveillance in the latest shooting was the person who shot him though his right hand during a robbery attempt Saturday.

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"He said 'empty the register',” Don said. “I kind of smirked at him because I didn't think he was serious. It looked like a toy gun in his hand, and that was it, pop! He shot me!"

Don said he recognizes the robbers' eyes from the surveillance photos, but he said the left handed grip is the dead giveaway that links the shootings.

The father of the clerk who was shot Thursday lashed out in front of KIRO 7 cameras.

“I’m so very angry right now, you know? Don't shooting! Don't shooting," he said. “Hey, young guys, you need the money? You work! Work!”

Don says he's elated the man he believes terrorized other clerks in the area has been captured.

“That's him ‘bro, I’ll bet you money," he said.

Cox Media Group