Woman gambling at Washington County convenience store shot during attempted robbery, police say
A woman gambling at a convenience store in Washington County was shot when three teenagers attempted to rob it Sunday night, police said.
Washington police said they were called to the Washington Food Mart on West Chestnut Street around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday for a reported robbery in progress.
Through the investigation, police said they learned that a woman had been playing the "game-of-chance" machines inside when three armed suspects entered the store and tried to rob it.
According to investigators, the woman was shot after she tried to defend herself by drawing a legally concealed firearm.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the woman with multiple gunshot wounds. Officers gave her first aid until EMS arrived and took her to a Pittsburgh-area hospital. She is in stable condition, police said.
So far, a 17-year-old has been charged as an adult. Police didn't realize his name, but he's facing several charges, including conspiracy to attempt criminal homicide, robbery, aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person and firearms charges.
Clerk recounts attempted robbery and shooting
Christina Morgan, the clerk on duty when the attempted robbery and shooting happened, said one of the suspects walked up to her and told her to open the register.
"Basically, he held it to me and said I got 3 seconds to open up the register, and he started counting," she said.
"The only thing that was going through my head was my kids, and I wasn't going to make it home to my kids," she added.
Morgan said the only thing she could think to do was tell the woman playing the video poker game that she was being robbed. That's when the woman pulled out a gun.
"The one acquaintance had walked around and seen she had a gun and started yelling to the other two, 'yo, she got a gun, she got a gun,'" Morgan said.
Morgan's niece, Mercedez Reese, said she was in the store but got away.
"I slipped behind them and I went outside to call the cops. Once I got out there, that's when I heard pop, pop, pop, pop like eight times," Reese said.
"As they was coming out, they just started letting the gun go. They wasn't even looking, they was running out the door just firing away," Morgan said.
The victim's mother said her daughter was in a lot of pain and was in surgery for three-plus hours, but she's alive.
Detectives believe the three suspects are in their mid- to late teens. Police said investigators are pursuing all leads and working to identify them.
Anyone with information is asked to call Washington police at 724-233-4108 or tips@washingtonpa.us.