DeKalb County police have released surveillance photos of two men wanted for questioning in the fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk late Monday.
Police spokeswoman Mekka Parish asked that anyone who can help identify the pair, who are being called "persons of interest," call investigators at 770-724-7850.
On Tuesday, police canvassed the area around the BP station in the 2100 block of Cedar Grove Road in a search for clues to who fatally shot the clerk, who was about to finish his shift at midnight, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The clerk, identified by Channel 2 as Damodar Pathak, was shot and killed Monday night during an apparent armed robbery. Customers called him Mr. Pete, the report said.
The shooting happened about 11:30 p.m. at a BP gas station and convenience store in the 2100 block of Cedar Grove Road.
The 39-year-old victim died at Grady Memorial Hospital after being shot in the chest, according to DeKalb police Sgt. H.K. Stafford.
A second employee who was inside a cooler restocking drinks was uninjured, Channel 2 reported.
Stafford said two suspects fled the store on foot.
Store owner Krishna Devkota told Channel 2 that he has seen the surveillance video of the incident. He said Pathak left his position behind the protective glass at the counter to confront the robbers.
Customer James Cargile, who saw the clerk a few hours before the shooting, told Channel 2, "You could go in there and ask for anything, and he'll just say, ‘Bring it back to me.' And if you don't have it the next time, he'll say, ‘Bring it back to me next time.' He was a very kind-hearted person."
The incident was the second fatal shooting in recent years of an employee of the store. On Oct. 31, 2008, a store worker was found shot to death in the parking lot.
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