CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A clerk at a west Charlotte gas station was shot and killed during an attempted robbery early Monday, police said.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police were called to a Shell gas station on Freedom Drive near the intersection with Alleghany Street around 3:20 a.m. Monday. When officers got to the store, they found the clerk, long-time employee 50-year-old Ismael Doumbia, after he'd been shot. Doumbia was rushed to a Charlotte hospital where he died from his injuries.
"Honestly, it's heartbreaking," one customer of the Shell gas station said.
Police said the shooter robbed Doumbia before running from the store. The shooter is still on the loose.
CMPD officers put up crime scene tape around the front of the store and were looking at a gold car parked by the entrance. The store owner told NBC Charlotte the clerk started working for him in 2002 and that he had a son.
The convenience store clerk had been known to pay the difference for those who didn't quite have enough.
"I don't know what took place this morning, but someone took the life of a great man that had a great heart," another customer said.
Police released surveillance video showing the masked man storming in with his gun drawn. Investigators say seconds later, you can see that suspect firing his weapon, killing Doumbia.
All day Monday, neighbors and frequent customers of the store stopped by to leave flowers and mourn his loss. The gas station owner was overcome with emotions. Others, fed up with the violence.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crime Stoppers offers up to a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The FBI is also offering up to an additional $10,000 in this case, for a combined total reward of up to $15,000.
Anyone with information about this shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600.
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