Posted on 06/24/2011 1:51:06 PM PDT by marktwain
(Fayetteville) -- A possible armed robbery gone wrong leaves one man shot and another stabbed. For Arkansas Gold and Silver Exchange employee Brian Dunnigan, it's an unexpected turn of events Tuesday.
"I thought what I heard was a shot go off," he said. "I just kind of blew it off for a minute, until I saw the police pull up. Then I wondered was that really a gunshot I heard?"
Police say at this point, it seems a man in the store stabbed shop clerk Chris Leach, who then shot the would-be robber.
"Right now, what we're investigating is what led to all this, someone shot stabbed," said Sergeant Shannon Gabbard.
Salon LMC sits right next door to the gold shop, and Shawna Conner feels lucky to literally have dodged a bullet.
"One of the police officers said we're very fortunate that a bullet didn't come through the wall into our salon," Conner said.
The gold store does have a gun on hand for security, and that has Conner wondering if she should invest in a sidearm for her shop.
"In fact, I asked a police officer about keeping a gun in the salon and if it was a good idea," she said.
If this turns out to be a stick up gone south, the suspect who was shot could be facing several felony charges. Prosecutors will have to determine if the employee acted in self-defense.
"If we didn't have that gun in the store, Chris could have been a worse victim than what he was," Dunnigan said.
Both men were transported to Washington Regional Hospital. Leach is in good condition after suffering a stab wound.
The suspect wielding the knife has not been identified, but he has undergone surgery for a gunshot wound to the chest. Police say they have an idea of the man's identity but have not been able to confirm they are correct as of yet.
Now wait just a minute. Brian, one of the gold store employees, dismissed what sounded like a shot and didn’t get a clue until he saw the cops in his store? Where was he and what was he doing that he was so clueless? Did the other employees do anything like run to the break room for towels or did they also ignore everything?
And the salon woman will be next on the robbery list now that she’s advertised she a ding bat.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.