2 Shot in Armed Robbery, 1 Arrest Made

A 43-year-old man shot while approaching the Nebraska Food Mart Thursday night is expected to recover.

According to the Tampa Police Department, the armed robbery that led to Tomas Cruz’s shooting began to unfold around 9:49 p.m. when three men entered the 7508 N. Nebraska Ave. store. One of the men jumped the counter and forced the clerk to open the cash register while a second pistol whipped him, police said in an email to media.

As the first two men attacked the clerk, the third began opening a register.

The suspects, police say, then took money from the store’s registers and safe before fleeing on foot.

As the men were running out, Cruz was approaching the store. Police say one of the suspects shot him and somehow one of the suspects also was shot in the process.

Cruz was taken to a local hospital with serious, but not life-threatening injuries, the email said.

The wounded suspect was found in the area of 12th Street and Norfolk. Wilson Lopez, 32, was taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries that are not described as life threatening.

Police say Lopez was wanted on a Hernando County warrant for carjacking and grand theft auto. Once he is medically cleared, he will also be charged with armed robbery.

In the meantime, a search for the other two suspects continues.

Image via Shutterstock

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