WACO, TX — Police have arrested and identified the suspect who attempted to rob the Little Caesars on South Valley Mills drive and shot an 18-year-old female employee Saturday.
The mother of the victim said the sheriff's office told her the suspect has been arrested.
The suspect was identified as Leonard Black. He was living with his grandmother in McGregor.
Officials said the suspect came into the Little Caesars at 3:21 p.m. on Saturday, displayed a gun and demanded money. No money was exchanged at that time. The suspect then became agitated for an unknown reason and shot the 18-year-old woman employee in the upper body.
Police said the suspect then fled on foot but got into a small, black or purple Pontiac GS two blocks down the road.
Officials put together surveillance footage from the area to get the license plate number of the vehicle. Police also collected footage of what they're calling "a person of interest" wearing similar clothing as the suspect at a gas station on Franklin, hours prior to the shooting.
Central Texas News Now spoke to the victim and her family, who described the incident from her perspective.
"I see a man walking up through the big windows, I see the gun on the side of his pants and I notice that he has a mask on and before I had time to say anything he was already inside. He goes to the girl at the front, points it at her," the victim said.
The victim explained that the suspect demanded money.
"I told him 'yes sir I have to go get everything so I can get you what you need' and when I was backing up I had my hands up towards him, backing up, facing him still, and he just shot," she said.
The victim pled to her coworker "don't let me die, I'm not ready to die."
The victim has been released from the hospital and is healing at home with her family.
