Clerk shoots, wounds 1 of 2 men in west-metro holdup

Excelsior residents remained on edge Friday as police charged a man suspected of trying the night before to rob a popular Hwy. 7 convenience store where many of them frequently buy gas and other goods.

Police were still looking for a second man who was involved in the attempted hold-up of the Lakeshore Market. A clerk shot at the would-be robbers, wounding one of them.

Police said they found Omario Tavari Henry hiding in bushes about 100 feet from the store shortly after getting a call for help. Henry, 19, of Hopkins was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. He was charged Friday with first-degree attempted aggravated robbery, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court.

The second suspect was still at large Friday evening. Police, aided by a helicopter, conducted an intense search in the area Thursday night and early Friday morning. Authorities are reviewing tape from surveillance cameras and checking leads in hopes of identifying and locating him, said Chief Bryan Litsey of the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department.

Two men wearing bandanas burst into the family-owned store about 10:45 p.m. Thursday. According to the criminal complaint, the clerk fired three shots as the suspects retreated. Henry was hit in the lower leg and torso. As he was taken to the hospital, he asked an officer "how much [time] he was facing for his attempted robbery."

On Friday, customers who came by the store, just steps off busy Hwy. 7 at Christmas Lake Road, offered support for the clerk involved and for their market.

Nearby resident Tony Compton said he stops by nearly every day to buy gas and goods. He came with his 17-month-old daughter, Kayle, to see whether the clerk who was working was safe.

Another man stopped by to say thank you for standing up to crooks and letting people know that not only the bad guys have guns.

The intense search for the second suspect frightened some neighbors and kept others awake late into the night. One woman who lives near the store said it was around midnight when police told her and her husband to get inside and lock their doors. A helicopter with a spotlight hovered overhead and officers with flashlights and dogs canvassed her front and back yards.

"I was in shock [that would happen there]; I buy gas there all the time," said a woman who asked not to be identified. "They were tromping through my plants and collecting evidence from behind that evergreen."

By Friday afternoon, the only visible sign of a crime scene was a short piece of yellow tape tied to a bush in the rear of the store. The clerk on duty, who identified himself only as "Hadi," had many well-wishers who were concerned about him.

Jenni Chappa, of Excelsior, was on the phone Thursday night when she heard a gunshot, which she said "was rare for the area." She saw news reports of the robbery, and on Friday afternoon came by the store where she has shopped for 2 years to check on the welfare of "a great owner."