From the Houston Chronicle of January 25, 2008
Attempted robbery ends with shootout in north Houston
An attempted robbery outside a convenience store in north Houston on Friday afternoon ended in a shootout between the robber and his intended victim, police said.
Both men were taken to hospitals and described as stable with gunshot wounds to their torsos following the shooting in front of Handi Food Mart in the 500 block of Yorkshire.
According to police, the gunman approached the son of the store's owners in the parking lot and tried to rob him at gunpoint about 3:20 p.m.
But the intended victim managed to pull out his gun, said Sgt. Robert Odom of HPD's homicide division.
Several shots were fired and both men were wounded, Odom said.
The suspect was taken to Memorial Hermann-The Texas Medical Center while the intended victim was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he was in surgery. The names of both men were withheld.
Residents living on street where the store is were shaken by the shooting.
When Mary Rogers drove home Friday afternoon to find police tape cordoning off The Handi Food Mart down the street, she felt tears well in her eyes.
"I was getting ready to start crying," said Rogers, 54. "I hate this happening because this neighborhood is basically quiet."
The little family-owned and operated store has been a neighborhood fixture for years, she said. The store owners have a large brood of grown children, many of whom help out at the store, Rogers said.
"Most of the people here know them," Rogers said. "They're just as sweet as they can be. Always give people credit when they need it."
"They help everybody out and they know everybody pretty much by name," agreed Debra Sanchez, who lives across the street from the Handi Food Mart. Her 16-year-old son was inside the store getting quarters to do the laundry when the shooting happened.
"Man this is just too close to home, you know?" Sanchez said, shivering in the cold as daylight began to fade.
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