St. Paul, Minnesota

From Lacrosse’s WKBT.com of April 8, 2007

Woman trying to rob St. Paul store is shot by pregnant clerk

A woman who pretended to have a gun while trying to rob a convenience store on St. Paul's East Side was shot by a pregnant store clerk.

The robbery suspect was shot near the collarbone and was in stable condition at Regions Hospital last night.

Police aren't releasing the name of either woman.

They say the suspect was pretending that she had gun concealed in a paper bag and she scuffled with the clerk, who is in her ninth month of pregnancy.

The clerk was also caring for her toddler at the time.

The clerk was taken to Regions Hospital with cuts and scrapes.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune of April 10, 2007

Woman who was shot is charged in robbery

A 30-year-old Shoreview woman was charged Tuesday with an attempted robbery in which she was shot by a pregnant store clerk.

Angel Star Kaster, also known as Angel Star Gustafson, made her first appearance Tuesday afternoon in Ramsey County District Court on a charge of second-degree attempted aggravated assault.

Kaster was ordered held in the Ramsey County jail in lieu of $25,000 bail. Her next court appearance is April 24.

St. Paul police investigators said Kaster, who was shot in the right shoulder on Saturday night, used a TV remote control in a paper bag to simulate a gun in attempting to rob the Super USA store on the East Side.

The clerk, Susana Khalil, who was caring for her 2-year-old daughter at the time of the attempted robbery, struggled with Kaster, according to the complaint. Khalil then grabbed a gun kept in the store and shot the would-be robber in the shoulder.

St. Paul police said store video shows Kaster sneaking up on Khalil and pointing the bag at the clerk as if she has a gun, according to the complaint. The clerk's daughter was near her when the shooting took place, but did not appear to be hurt.

In the complaint, Kaster is quoted as telling police that she tried to rob the store because she needed money for her kids. She also told police she had been drinking before entering the store. She said that she lives at a treatment center in Shoreview because she is an alcoholic, according to the complaint.