Fresno auto parts store employee shot trying to stop potential shoplifter, police say

An O'Reilly Auto Parts employee received a serious gun wound after attempting to stop a potential shoplifter in north Fresno on Thursday night.

Officers received a call around 9 p.m. that a person had been shot at the corner of Sierra and Blackstone avenues, said Fresno Police Lt. Michael Landon. Officers arrived to find a man shot in the lower abdomen in the auto parts store parking lot.

After an investigation, officers discovered that a man and a woman had entered the business and were acting suspicious, and an employee confronted the male suspect inside the store. The male suspect pulled a firearm from the waistband of his pants, leading to a fight between the employee and the suspect in the parking lot, Landon said. The employee was then shot by the suspect.

The suspect was seen fleeing with the woman who entered along with him and another man and woman in a dark four-door vehicle.

The victim's condition was unknown, but Landon described the wound as serious.

This story was originally published April 19, 2018 at 10:19 PM with the headline "Fresno auto parts store employee shot trying to stop potential shoplifter, police say."