Newlywed Texas Convenience Store Clerk, 51, Shot Dead in $200 Robbery: Police

A stock police tape photo (Stock photo CC0)

A convenience store clerk in Texas was gunned down during an armed robbery, which needed about $200, according to reports.

Ashraf Lakhani, a 51-year-old woman who recently got married, was shot after midnight at a Valero gas station in Lewisville, Texas, the Lewisville Police Department confirmed in a Facebook post on Feb. 17.

One of the men said nothing to the woman before she was shot, according to video footage of the incident.

“It briefly shows the two suspects coming in,” Lewisville Police Capt. Dan Rochelle told Fox4. “The suspect wearing the blue zippered jacket immediately shoots her, and she falls to the ground. Then, he takes the money and they both run out of the store.”

Officials released a photo of one of the suspects, who was wearing a blue zipper jacket with white stripes.

Police said they made off with about $200.

“Money’s not everything,” store manager Abedin Mawani told Fox4. “A life. It’s very sad.”

A family member said Lahkani has two sons.

“She was a very friendly, compassionate person,” family spokesperson Samina Hooda told the local news station. “Really was ready to help out anybody in need. Hardworking person trying to make better of her life.”

“No store clerks would let you leave without paying in full, so that shows the type of person she was it’s sick that that happened.” said Caleb Hughes, a customer, CBS Dallas reported.

Several months ago, at a liquor store next to the Valero station, a man was shot dead during an apparent robbery, it was reported.

Police said that detectives don’t have evidence linking the two incidents.

Anyone with information should contact the Lewisville Police Department’s tip line at 972-219-TIPS.

Violent Crime Up in Texas in 2017

In Texas, according to the FBI, the violent crime rate rose in 2017, reported the Texas Tribune.

The agency noted that there were only 1.5 officers for every 1,000 Texas residents last year, which is down from two Texas officers for every 1,000 residents in 2016.

In September 2018, the FBI said Americans committed fewer violent and property crimes across the United States in 2017, according to statistics. The violent crime rate—including offenses such as murder, robbery, and aggravated assault—dropped by almost 1 percent and is still about 4 percent above the 2014 rate. The murder rate dropped by 0.7 percent.

“There were more than 1.2 million violent crimes reported to [the FBI] nationwide in 2017. There was a 0.7 percent decrease in murders and a 4 percent decrease in robberies from 2016 to 2017. Aggravated assaults increased 1 percent in 2017. The FBI began collecting data solely on an updated rape definition last year, and 135,755 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2017,” the agency said.

Of the estimated 17,284 murders in 2017, more than half occurred in larger cities—with populations of more than 100,000.

There are fewer than 300 such cities in the United States, and while they account for less than 30 percent of the country’s population, many of them contribute far beyond their share to national crime rates and have done so for years, even decades. While the national murder rate inched down to 5.3 per 100,000 residents, it spiked by 15 percent in Philadelphia, to a rate of more than 20 per 100,000 residents. Columbus, Ohio, saw a massive 54 percent murder rate increase, reaching nearly 16.3 per 100,000 residents.

The murder rate in St. Louis rose by more than 10 percent and reached 66 per 100,000 residents—the highest among larger cities.

Baltimore’s murder rate rose by nearly 8.5 percent, reaching some 56 per 100,000 residents.

Texas woman shot dead in $200 gas station robbery, police say