A convenience store employee is fighting for his life after being shot twice early Thursday when he tried to stop two suspected shoplifters from walking out of a Dallas 7-Eleven without paying. The confrontation, which happened just after 6 a.m. at the store near the 8200 block of East R.L. Thornton Service Road and Jim Miller Road, ended with one of the suspects opening fire before fleeing the scene.
According to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, the employee confronted two people suspected of trying to leave the store without paying for merchandise. The argument escalated, the two suspects assaulted the worker, and one of them shot him twice before running off. Dallas police arrived to find the man wounded and rushed him to a hospital, where he remains in critical condition.
Investigators are now reviewing surveillance footage from the store, hoping the cameras captured enough detail to identify the shooter and the second suspect. As of the latest update, Dallas police had not released a suspect description or announced any arrests, and no other information about the suspects has been made public.
Neighbor Says He Saw Trouble Brewing the Day Before
A witness named Abel Sanabria told the outlet he had watched a strikingly similar confrontation unfold at the same store just one day before the shooting. In that earlier incident, Sanabria said, a person accused of stealing beer pulled a knife when confronted by staff. He described the surrounding area as high-crime and said the violence there is happening too often.
Sanabria also spoke about the wounded employee in personal terms, calling him a great guy and a good person. He said he hopes the man recovers and does not die from his injuries. Dallas police have urged anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.
A Pattern of Violence at Dallas-Area Convenience Stores
Thursday's shooting adds to a string of violent incidents tied to Dallas-area convenience stores in recent memory. Earlier this month, a 54-year-old 7-Eleven clerk named Nathaniel Ogbolu was shot and killed during an attempted robbery at a North Oak Cliff store on North Hampton Road, according to FOX 4 News. That shooting also happened just after 6 a.m. while Ogbolu was working, the station reported.
In a separate 2021 case, two male suspects were accused of robbing a 7-Eleven of beer before fleeing toward a pickup truck, per NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth's earlier reporting. Police said the store's clerk came outside and fired at the fleeing vehicle; officers later found the truck under Interstate 35 on Clarendon Drive with a male victim inside who was critically injured and later died at a hospital. Separately, WFAA has reported on another Dallas-area shooting near a 7-Eleven in Pleasant Grove that also left a victim in critical condition.
No connection has been established between Thursday's shooting and these earlier cases. For now, Dallas police say the investigation into the Jim Miller Road shooting remains active, with surveillance video their best lead as they work to identify the person who pulled the trigger.
