HOUSTON – Customers at a north side Family Dollar say they're fed up with all the crime happening at the store.
"It makes me angry and frightened," Dana Thompson said.
The store is on Kuykendahl Road near Ella Boulevard. The Harris County Sheriff's Office says a store employee called 911 Wednesday night, after seeing a suspicious man walk inside the store and enter a back storage room.
When deputies arrived the suspect was inside. The deputies had the store surrounded, but when the armed suspect came outside he ran toward the deputy as he fled.
"A deputy was waiting and the robbery suspect raised a pistol toward that deputy. The deputy then discharged his weapon striking the suspect," Deputy Thomas Gilliland said.
The suspect, who has yet to be identified, was transported by EMS to Ben Taub Hospital in critical condition. The deputy was not injured.
This is the second incident at the Family Dollar store in the past couple of weeks. On May 19 two armed men got away after a violent holdup at the store. For hours employees were holed up in the store after the robbers fired shots, then stole a cell phone and money from one customer.
"I feel uncomfortable coming here," said customer Dequinn Williams. "I have to come here during the daytime because I think it's safe. At night I stay home."
Wednesday night's incident is under investigation by the Harris County Sheriff's Office Internal Affairs division and the Harris County District Attorney's Office.