Man shoots Dollar General worker in face before stealing Halloween candy, TN cops say
A Dollar General worker was shot in the face during a Halloween candy robbery in Tennessee on Sunday, police said.
The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Malik Motley, came in the store on South Third Street in Memphis wearing a mask and armed with a gun wrapped in a plastic bag, according to an affidavit from the Memphis Police Department. Police said he pointed the gun at the worker while demanding cash from the register.
Motley then shot the worker in the face “at point blank range” and ran off — taking Halloween candy with him in a yellow Dollar General bag, according to the affidavit.
Officers responded and found the worker in critical condition, police said Sunday. She was taken to a hospital.
They then watched surveillance footage and recognized Motley, the affidavit said. Officers went to his home about a quarter of a mile away and saw him walking out of the back of the house.
Motley ran off when he saw the officers, and they “lost sight” of him, according to the affidavit. A neighbor told the officers that they saw Motley leaving his home about 15 minutes before they arrived.
Police then obtained a search warrant and said they found a handgun, a yellow Dollar General bag and Halloween candy in his home, according to the affidavit.
Motley has been arrested and charged with “especially aggravated robbery and criminal attempt first degree murder,” police said Thursday.
No other information about the incident had been released as of Thursday afternoon.
This story was originally published October 7, 2021 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Man shoots Dollar General worker in face before stealing Halloween candy, TN cops say."
