TACOMA, Wash. — A 7-Eleven convenience store clerk robbed and shot during a holdup in Tacoma told KIRO 7 how he survived what could have been a deadly encounter.
"He just came towards me, and he just pulled out a gun, and he said, 'OK, give me all the money,'" said Din, who asked that his last name not be revealed.
Din is one of two convenience store clerks shot by the same man over a two-day period. The masked robber held up two stores in two days, both times shooting the clerk before leaving with cash.
It was just before 4:30 a.m. Wednesday when the gunman walked into a 7-Eleven store at South Tacoma Way and 74th Street in Tacoma where Din was working, pulled a gun and demanded cash.
"And he was just pointing the gun at me. So I thought, 'This is my last day,'" said Din. "I was afraid, and I was not able to open the register, and he was just saying, he was just saying some messy words, and he was saying, 'You're just messing with me, bro.' And all of a sudden he became really impassioned, and he just shot me on my leg, and he ran from the store. I just saw blood flow all over the floor."
The same masked man robbed an Extra Mile convenience store in Midland around 5:30 Thursday morning, shooting and seriously wounding a clerk there.
The 30-year-old Din, who is from Nepal, recently moved to Washington state after receiving a master's degree in accounting in Oklahoma. He took the 7-Eleven job Nov. 28 while he looks for employment as an accountant. His wound was not life-threatening and he is recovering. Though Din says he considers himself a man of peace, he hopes police find the gunman and use force to stop him.
"It's better if the policemen will find him and shoot him dead. I'm in favor of shooting him dead by the police officers. I don't want to see him alive."
The robberies are being investigated by Tacoma police and the Pierce County Sheriff's Department. No suspect has been identified. Crime Stoppers of Tacoma and Pierce County is offering a reward for information leading to his arrest.
Cox Media Group
