OPELIKA, Ala. — The Opelika Police Department asks for your help identifying several suspects in an early morning gas station shooting.
Officers responded to a 911 robbery call from the Marathon Gas Station on Columbus Parkway at around 2:55 a.m. Monday. They found two victims, the clerk and customer, injured on the scene, immediately rendered first aid and called paramedics.
The clerk was taken to Midtown Medical Center where he is in stable condition. The customer was taken to East Alabama Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.
“We could have had two fatalities,” Capt. Bobby Kilgore from the Opelika Police Department said. “We’re grateful that no one was killed in this attack, but we are absolutely concerned about the level of violence and aggression these suspects demonstrated, and we desperately want to find them.”
An employee who works at the store said there have been robberies at the store in the past, but never to this extent where a customer and clerk got shot. Employees say they were shocked when they learned what happened Monday morning.
“There was blood everywhere, and stuff like that. This is my first situation ever seeing anything that gruesome. For me, it was hard. I even cried because I had never seen anything like that.”
Police say evidence suggests the three suspects pulled up to the front of the gas station and two got out to go inside. Both men were armed and started shooting after demanding money from the register. The report goes on to say the suspects ran off with an undisclosed amount of money before jumping back into the car and driving away.
“It’s getting to a point now where now, it’s getting scary,” the employee said. “It’s getting outrageous. It’s getting hard, and it’s getting scary, but, the bills don’t stop. We have to make money anyway we can, but it’s a scary situation for us.”
When asked what they will do going forward, the employee told News Three:
“We’re just going to continue to pray and ask God to cover us. That’s all we can do and just try to go on and hopefully it can slow down. Hopefully. But, we’re just leaving it in God’s hands and letting him do his work.”
Police have provided photos of the suspects and describe the escape vehicle as a dark colored four door sedan. It had a sunroof and a spoiler on the rear.
Anyone who may recognize either suspect, the vehicle or may have any other information on this case is asked to call the Opelika Police Department’s Investigative Services Division at 334-705-5220. You may also call the Secret Witness Hotline at 334-745-8665. You may remain anonymous if you wish.
