Mourners had just left a vigil for store clerk Prakash Patel hours before three men attempted to rob the convenience store.

Antwaun Bernard Smith, 28, fell trying to escape when officers arrived to Gary Food Mart store, the Macon Telegraph reported.

Smith faces burglary, possession of tools while committing a crime and probation violation charges, the paper reported.

Police got a call about a break in at the store where Patel, 40, was shot and killed, according to a Bibb County Sheriff's Office release. They arrived to find the back door open.

When they went in, police found three men inside of the store, the release said. Smith was caught, but the two others got away.

Smith was in the Bibb County Law Enforcement Center on a $1,850 bond Thursday.

Read more of the story here.

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Henry County Commission Chair Carlotta Harrell in her office at the Henry County Administration Building on Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

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