By DANA SMITH

Tribune Staff Reporter

dsmith@tribunemedia.net

A midday shoot-out in a Carmichael Road grocery store parking lot ended when an armed robber was shot and killed by store security.

The deceased is suspected by police to have robbed the nearby New Oriental Cleaners at gunpoint “just minutes before” his attempt at John Chea #8, where employees there believe he was the same man who targeted the food store just four days earlier.

Witnesses said the robber, armed with a shotgun, came into John Chea yesterday and sent employees and shoppers fleeing in terror after he fired a shot into the ceiling, demanding cash.

Supt Paul Rolle said the incident occurred around 1pm and three cashiers were robbed before the gunman “drew the attention of the security guard on duty” who engaged him outside the store.

“There was an exchange of gunfire resulting in the suspect being fatally shot,” Supt Rolle said, noting that employees and customers inside the store were left “visibly shaken” by the ordeal.

Store manager, Vernita Polhemus was there when the robbery occurred.

“I was upstairs at the time and I heard screaming,” she said. “When I heard the screaming I thought – ‘Jesus, not again.’ After the screaming, I heard a gunshot. Then I heard a couple more shots fired.”

She had locked the door on hearing the first shot, Ms Polhemus said. She ventured downstairs when the firing stopped.

“I just hoped that no one in the store had gotten hurt – that was my first reaction,” she said. “I heard one (gunshot) inside the store then I heard three more after that.”

She said she came downstairs to see everybody “in a panic” and a body lying on the ground, outside.

Ms Polhemus said she was also present when the store was robbed last Saturday. She believes the deceased was the same robber in that incident.

“I was here on Saturday. He came in the store and said, ‘Everybody get down’. He walked over to where I was on the ground and a packing girl – he asked, who is the manager and she pointed me out,” Ms Polhemus said.

“He then took me into the office at gunpoint and he said, ‘Give me everything, give me the money, open all the drawers.’ I opened the drawers gave him what I had to give him... It’s the same person. Tall, bright –he is the same person.”

Customer, Renell Armbrister described yesterday how she hid “terrified” in the store’s storage room, unsure what was happening and if she would become a target.

“I can’t even explain what it was like being there,” she said. “We had to run to the back once one of the supervisors told us the store was being robbed, again. We just hid in the storage.

“Of course, I was terrified. We didn’t know exactly how it was happening. We didn’t know if it was more than one person, we didn’t know if they were going to run through the store, we didn’t know if after they didn’t get any money they would come and try to hold up the customers or what.”

“Everyone was running at the same time,” said Wilson Jean who was working his first day on the job. “I heard two shots and everyone was running this way so I run with them. I feel a little funny – it’s my first day so I was like ‘whoa!’ But I’m not really (worried) because I know they got him.”

Ruby Knowles, store manager of New Oriental Cleaners, the store the deceased is suspected to have targeted first, said a robber held a cashier at gunpoint and fled with cash.

“A guy came to the door, normal as a regular customer, but when he came in he took a gun and put it to the cashier’s chest and demanded the money and she apparently gave him the monies and he fled with the gun in his hand – it was a shotgun,” Ms Knowles said.

“They (police) think this is the same person (who robbed John Chea, yesterday).”