Two days after offering free Slurpees, 7-Eleven announced another offer Wednesday, this time, a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a masked gunman suspected of robbing six stores.
The robberies took place at 7-Elevens in Southern California, and during the robberies, the gunman reportedly killed two people and wounded three others, The Associated Press reported.
The two who were killed included Matthew Hirsch, a 40-year-old clerk at a Brea store, and Matthew Rule, 24, who was shot in the parking lot of a Santa Ana store.
The robberies took place during a five-hour stretch, and robberies at 7-Eleven stores in Ontario, Upland, Riverside, and La Habra are believed to be connected, according to police, CBS News reported.
At a Riverside store, a customer was shot in the head and is in critical condition, and two more people were shot in La Habra but are expected to survive.
The Riverside victim is reported to be out of a coma and breathing independently. His brother David Makin identified him as 47-year-old Jason Harrell, KNBC reported.
"He has to keep fighting. Jason is a fighter, and so we fully expect him to fight through his whole thing and win this battle," Makin said.
One of the victims who was shot was 60-year-old Russell Browning, who was hit by a bullet while sitting in his car and had it go through his cheek, causing him to lose a number of teeth, KNBC reported.
"The wrong place at the wrong time. That's all it can go down as," Browning told KNBC from his wheelchair.
Images of the suspected robber have been released, showing him wearing what appeared to be the same black sweatshirt with white lettering and green leaves on it.
7-Eleven released a statement saying they are currently working with the local police to spread the news in the community" about the reward.
The attacks took place on July 11, or 7/11, the same day as the store's free Slurpee promotion, but investigators don't think it played a role in the attacks.
Anyone with information on the robberies is encouraged to contact the Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.
Related
Related
