Two additional suspects involved in Washington Food Mart robbery taken into custody
Two more suspects wanted in connection with the robbery of the Washington Food Mart on November 30 are now in custody, according to the City of Washington Police Department.
On Friday evening, the police department posted to Facebook that they had identified two additional suspects who were involved in the robbery and shooting that left one woman in the hospital.
They were identified as Christian Patrene and Christopher Ellis-Valperga.
Criminal charges, including attempted homicide, aggravated assault, robbery, recklessly endangering another person, and firearms violations, were filed against both.
Once the charges were filed, detectives were granted a search warrant for a home on Hayes Avenue in Washington, and while neither suspect was found inside the home, they did recover several pieces of evidence related to the investigation.
While the original social media post from the City of Washington Police Department stated that Ellis-Valperga was already in custody, just before 10 p.m., they announced that Patrene was also found and taken into custody.
Woman injured during convenience store robbery
Just after 10 p.m. on November 30, a woman who was playing a "game of chance" inside the Washington Food Mart was shot as three teenagers attempted to rob the store.
Police said that once they arrived, they found the woman had been shot multiple times.
However, investigators learned that she had attempted to defend herself by drawing a legally concealed firearm.
Her attempt to defend herself was aided thanks to quick thinking from the clerk. Christian Morgan, who was working the register, said the only thing she could think to do in the moment was tell the woman she was being robbed.
"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 was in the store, but was able to slip away, saying she slipped behind the three teenagers, and was able to call the police.
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.