Gulfport food mart shooting was witnessed by victims' children

GULFPORT -- Surveillance video of last night's convenience store robbery that injured two clerks at the Joy Foodmart, 1005 49th St. S, shows the shooting was witnessed by the clerks' three young boys -- one of whom also activated the store's panic alarm, authorities say.

[Gulfport Police Department]

The video begins violently, with one of the robbers wielding a gun and opening fire on a clerk who is the boys' father.

"The gunman actually shoots the first clerk before demanding anything," said Lt. Robert Vincent of the Gulfport police.

Police are releasing the video to the media in hopes it will help them identify and capture the suspects.

"This crime was actually committed in front of children, ages 8, 10 and 11," said Vincent, a spokesman for the Gulfport Police Department, which is investigating. The video also shows one of the young boys pulling an silent emergency alarm "only moments after the robbers left the store," Vincent said.

The incident happened a 8:36 p.m. Monday night.

The video begins with harrowing violence. Thanh Hoang, 43, who is the boys' father, is seen standing at the counter when three black males enter the store, police said.

"The gunman actually shoots the first clerk [Hoang] before demanding anything," Vincent said. Hoang was shot once in the arm.

At this point, the three boys can be seen seen scurrying for cover.

The suspects then confronted the second clerk, Tien Tran, 25, and shot him once in the chest with the silver-colored handgun, police said. Tran is the boys' uncle, police said.

Despite a language barrier -- the men are Asian -- Hoang was able to give a statement to police.

Both victims remain in stable condition at Bayfront Medical Center with injuries deemed serious but not life-threatening. They were initially taken to the trauma unit.

The children were not hurt, but are "very shaken up over the incident," Vincent said.

The suspects are described as black men in their late teens to early twenties, with slender builds, unknown height, wearing dark hooded sweatshirts and bandanas covering their faces. One of the bandanas was yellow, black and green with "Jamaica" printed on it.

Gulfport police said there were "some similarities" between the robbery and two others that occurred earlier this month in St. Petersburg in which convenience store clerks were shot. Both police departments are comparing notes

On Dec. 1, Narendra Patel was shot during a robbery at his store, Star Deli, 2451 Fifth Ave. N.

Two days later, Indravadan Patel was shot during a robbery at his store, Suhani, 2539 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N.

Both store owners, who are brothers, survived. Though police said the robberies likely were committed by the same masked robbers, they don’t believe the brothers were specifically targeted.

No arrests have been reported.

Property records show Joy Foodsmart is owned by Nguyen Enterprises  of Warren, Mich.

"They don't hurt nobody. They give people credit. They always try to help people out. I come here every day," said Randy Diggs, 28, who lives nearby.

Gulfport City Manager Jim O'Reilly said he did not know the men but learned that the store was popular with residents. "I understand they were well liked," he said.

Today, the scene at Joy Foodsmart seemed normal, with customers streaming in and out as usual. The owner, who was working the register, declined to comment.

Anyone with information is asked to call Gulfport Police at (727) 893-1030 or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously at 1-800-873-8477 (TIPS).

Luis Perez and Nicole Hutcheson, Times staff writers

[Gulfport Police Department]

Child's chilling 911 call

Comments

[ltcbabs]

What ever happened to working for what you want or need? These clerks were doing just that...but some lazy bums that think the world owes them, pulls a gun and takes it away from them and the families. What a shame!!

[dapex]

Hunt them down and shoot them.

[disgusted city resident]

This is getting old,most of these store owners are very hard workers with young families,they work long hours,some times 15-20 hours per day for 150-200 dollars if they are busy per shift,these robbers need to stopped before some wife,mother and kids lose their father or uncle etc.

[Carol]

Unfortunately, this is not going to stop anytime in the near future. As a matter of fact, I think it's going to get worse before it can even begin to get better. Everyone needs to take on the responsibility to protect themselves at all times. It's the world we live in now. I don't mean that everyone needs to start "packin' heat". But I do think that we all need to be mindful of our surroundings and the situations we place ourselves in each day. Always know what's happening around you at all times. But most of all, trust your first instinct. When you see or hear something that kind of raises the hair on the back of your neck, take measures to distance yourself from the situation. God bless us all in this world today!!

[John]

The police needs to do undercover surveillance and nabbed these idiots like they do in bank stakeouts.
These robbers are extremely dangerous and don't mind killing.

[Boyd]

Wow, how unsurprising the descriptions were of them,,, take them ALL out I say

[Dave]

Detailed Descriptions and Sketches - Come on St. Petersburg PD and/or the Times. Get the information out that citizens need to protect themselves with. Could it possibly be because the perps are black that we are not getting good descriptions. Some silly politically correct BS. I'm thinking it is.

[Sherry]

I sincerely hope the Gulfport Police Dept. handle this case better than the Karen Gregory case. Also if and when they catch the suspects, I hope a better jury is seated for the trial. There's no excuse for falling asleep during testimony.
So sorry for this family's circumstances, especially the poor children.

[Sherry]

I sincerely hope the Gulfport Police Dept. handle this case better than the Karen Gregory case. Also if and when they catch the suspects, I hope a better jury is seated for the trial. There's no excuse for falling asleep during testimony.
So sorry for this family's circumstances, especially the poor children.

[Joe]

The kids are obviously racists...sincerely, The Uhurus

[Julie]

I am so discusted with this whole situation. These people that work and own Joy Food are wonderful people. They are part of our little community and are great to all of us. I feel so sorry for the families, especially the children who witnessed this heinous act. Gulfport Police, along with the St.Pete Police need to get a task force togther to find these jerks. To must it nicely.
I cannot believe the Uhurus statement above. How dare you. You are the racist ones. Shame on you! Your time will come!

[Noblacs]

My, my..."three black males enter the store"...just loser wannabes, who have filled their weed-adddled pea brains with rap since they were being raised my their aunties or grannies from day one, have no sense of reality or respect of life and are merely beasts. More store owners should arm themselves and really turn the hood into the wild - wild west.

[John]

Same story repeated thousands of times across America over many years - hardworking immigrants who spend 18 hours a day in a modest store that they dedicate themselves to and some punk welfare babies who know nothing about work, discipline and sarcrifice walk through the door. What happens after that is a matter of how quickly the ambulance arrives. The latest of countless examples of what we all know to be true but too many are willing to deny or ignore - crime has a face, and it looks just like the three that walked into this store. The sooner you accept this, the easier it will be to understand why hellholes like Detroit, Newark, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Boston have the 'problems' that they do & places like Salt Lake City, Portland, Des Moines, Albuqeurque, Duluth and elsewhere do not....

[anonymous.]

both of those men who were shot are my cousins. Except one of them is just a close family friend. They are very nice people and i dont understand why this would happen.