UPDATE (5:54 p.m.) — Family members are demanding justice as law enforcement continues to investigate after three people were killed in a gas station robbery in rural Mississippi.
The gas station clerk, Rhonda Denson, her boyfriend, Lester Campbell, and a customer were killed at the Clarke's Exxon gas station on Saint Peter St. in State Line, Mississippi.
Greene County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Brad Warrick called the deadly robbery that happened as the store opened at around 6 a.m. on Wednesday, a "senseless act."
"It did appear that the subject was hiding or waiting for the store to open," Warrick said.
Campbell, according to his daughter Bianca Campbell, had just dropped Denson off to work. He was known to stay with her for a while every day before he left for his own work.
Deputies said Campbell was gunned down as he was entering the store.
"I'm lost for words," Bianca Campbell said. "It had to have been something that my dad was not expecting."
Investigators said the masked gunman then shot and killed a customer outside the store and stole his wallet.
Denson locked herself in a back room in an attempt to get away but deputies said the suspect broke through the door. According to officials, the suspect grabbed Denson and then dragged her to the front of the store demanding cash from the register.
She complied, but moments later, deputies said the gunman shot her to death.
"She was well known in the community. She's a very giving and loving person, and she has a lot that she's leaving behind," Shunita Banks, Denson's cousin said. "I don't understand why this tragedy had to happen to her, but I hope that she has justice."
Soon after the shooting, a manhunt was underway. It was headed by local, state, and federal officials.
Warrick said the suspect stole a black Toyota Camry that belonged to a worker at the gas station. It was found about four miles away from the scene.
"The Department of Corrections brought a K-9 to try to see if there was any kind of tracks or anything leaving that vehicle," Warrick said.
Deputies released the following photo of the suspected gunman. It appears the gunman was wearing a mask, gloves, and a leather jacket.
"It's a coward of a man," Warrick said. "He has no remorse for human life."
Warrick urged anyone with information to call the Greene County Sheriff's Office.
UPDATE (11:24 a.m.): Family members have identified two of the victims in this morning's shooting at a gas station in State Line, Mississippi.
According to family members, Rhonda Denson was the clerk killed during the shooting. The family also identified her boyfriend, who was also shot to death, as Lester Campbell.
News 5 is working to learn the identity of the third victim.
Original Story:
MISSISSIPPI (WKRG) — Law enforcement in Mississippi is looking for the suspect connected to the shooting death of three people at Clark's Exxon Oil #1 gas station in State Line, Mississippi.
It happened just as the store opened at 6 a.m. A store manager, the manager's boyfriend, and a customer were killed. The store is located near the Washington County, Alabama line.
The Washington County Sheriff's Department told News 5 that the male suspect shot the clerk's boyfriend as the boyfriend was walking into the store. They said the suspect then shot and killed a customer who was in the store and stole his wallet. According to officials, the female store clerk ran and locked herself in a back room. The suspect reportedly broke through the door and dragged her to the front of the store to open the cash register and the safe. After she complied, officials said he shot her in the face and killed her.
The suspect was wearing a mask and gloves during the shooting, police said.
The Washington County Sheriff's Department said the suspect stole a black Toyota Camry from one of the customers and ditched it four miles away on Knobtown Road.
Sheriff's deputies are working to get tracking dogs for the search, News 5 has learned. Officials said that the search is currently happening in the Knobtown community, which is located in Greene County Mississippi.
WKRG has a crew headed to the scene. We will update this story as we get more information.
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