Crimestoppers and its partner the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) are offering a reward of up to £20,000 for crucial information leading to an arrest and conviction of the persons responsible for the attempted murder and attempted robbery of a shop owner and his employee in Plaistow, east London.
The incident was on Thursday, October 31 last year at The Show Supermarket, on High Street, Plaistow, where two suspects entered the shop and demanded money at around 11.45pm.
One suspect threatened an employee working in the store with what is believed to be a sawn off shotgun. A struggle took place inside the shop, and having failed in their robbery attempt, both suspects vacated the shop. On exiting the building, the suspects were chased for a short distance by the employee and the owner.
It was then that the gunman turned around and fired a single shot at them which resulted in the life threatening injury to the shop owner, who was taken to hospital and later fell into a coma, which he remained in for over two weeks. The employee, who had been nearby, received injuries from the firearm discharge and was wounded in his leg and abdomen, treated in hospital.
This reward of up to £20,000 is available to anyone passing information to Crimestoppers’ 0800 555 111 number that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for the attempted murder and attempted robbery.
Regan Hook, Crimestoppers Campaigns Manager for London, said: “This is a terrifying ordeal for these two men to have gone through and standing up to the two suspects almost cost them their lives. We are offering a reward of up to £20,000 to anyone who can supply us with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person/s responsible for this callous incident, so I would urge anyone who knows anything to come forward and ensure this crime does not go unpunished. No personal details are taken and communication routes are not traced or recorded – in 26 years, Crimestoppers has never exposed anyone’s identity.”
Association of Convenience Stores Chief Executive, James Lowman, said: “Our thoughts are with the victim’s family after this horrific incident. We want to help the police, through Crimestoppers, to catch those responsible and we hope that by funding this reward we will play a part in securing more information to support the investigation.”
If you have any information on this incident – contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through the Anonymous Online Form.
