Columbia police are seeking information on suspects who shot a clerk at the Family Dollar on South High School Avenue during an armed robbery Saturday morning.
Detective Capt. Rita Pickering said they are looking for two suspects who were wearing long jackets, toboggans and scarves that covered their faces.
Police received the call at 10:08 a.m. and found the cashier, 52-year-old Della Faye Smith of Baxterville, was struck twice in the neck.
“She was taken to Forrest General Hospital and was released over the weekend,” Pickering said. “She’s a tough cookie.”
Officers are studying surveillance footage from the store and other nearby businesses.
“One stayed in the doorway as the lookout man and the other approached the register. He shouted at the clerk to give him the money. She did, but he fired two shots that struck her,” Pickering said.
She said the suspects may have left on foot.
“They ran out to the right of the store. We don’t know if they had a vehicle parked somewhere or not. We asked several people who were in the area and no one seemed to see anything,” Pickering said. “Smith gave a wonderful statement, but couldn’t identify them because all she could see of the suspect who shot her was his eyes.”
Columbia Fire Department first responders and AAA Ambulance Service responded to the scene.
The armed robbery is the second such incident in Marion County in a week.
Marion County Sheriff’s Department deputies are still seeking information in an armed robbery that occurred at Cox’s Triangle around 2:30 a.m. Jan. 6.
No suspects have been identified in that incident as of yet.
If you have information on the armed robbery at Family Dollar, contact the Columbia Police Department at (601) 736-8204. “We’re looking for anybody who might have seen anything,” Pickering concluded.
