HIGH POINT, NORTH CAROLINA – A convenience store employee was shot several times by a convicted felon who was in illegal possession of a gun. The incident occurred at the Apple Tree Grocery Store around 10 p.m. on Saturday, July 31st. Responding officers found the 30-year-old male clerk with multiple gunshot wounds to his groin and legs. He was transported to a local hospital where he was listed in stable conditions.
An HPPD spokesperson said that the preliminary investigation determined that two men became impatient while waiting to pay for beer at the register. They then entered the area inside the back of the beer cooler, where another employee was stocking shelves. They attempted to pay him, but when he refused their money, one of the men drew a pistol from his waistband and fired several rounds. The two left the store without paying for the beer and fled in a white Jeep Cherokee. The entire incident inside the cooler was captured on store video and was released by authorities.
The shooter was identified as Mario Antonio Harrison, 52, of High Point. On August 8th, police officers in Lexington, about twenty miles southeast of High Point via Interstate 85, arrested Harrison. He is charged with attempted first-degree murder and possession of firearm by felon. Harrison has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 1988 when he was first jailed as a youthful offender. He has served 27 of the last 33 years in the State’s prison system on ten separate convictions.
