The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office reports that a 9-year-old boy is recovering after being shot Saturday at a Henrietta gas station.
Deputies received a call at 11:30 a.m. reporting customer issues at the Speedy Trac on West Henrietta and Bailey roads.
According to Chief Deputy Michael Fowler, Ruben Smith, 35, of Henrietta, a predicate felon, got into an altercation with the store owner.
“The storeowner did not want him in there.” He was loitering,” Fowler explained. “He was trying to sell some of his own personal merchandise to customers, and the store owner had asked him repeatedly to leave.”
According to Fowler, the store owner requested assistance from other employees, who held Smith down on the floor while waiting for officers to arrive. Smith then pulled out a pistol and fired two shots, injuring the youngster.
“That 9-year-old boy was shopping with his father in the convenience store,” Fowler said. “They were waiting to check out while this altercation was taking place and, unfortunately, that round went through some merchandise and, as I stated, struck the boy in the upper chest area on the right-hand side.”
Fowler stated that the store owner then restrained Smith.
“They actually held him down and took control of the firearm,” Fowler said. “At that time, several other employees from the store came out, assisted the store owner with restraining him until deputies could arrive. Once the deputies did arrive, they were able to take him into custody, recover the evidence, get the little boy to the hospital and start their investigation.”
According to Fowler, the youngster was transferred to Strong Memorial Hospital and is currently healing.
“When we got this call and started coming in, we fully expected this to be a much worse outcome,” Fowler said. “But thankfully, just sheer luck and the intervention of the hospital, it looks like the boy is going to make a full recovery.”
According to Fowler, Smith will face two counts of second-degree assault, with more charges likely to be filed by a grand jury.
“I watched these the store security video, and it’s very alarming. Very alarming,” he said. “Customers waiting at the register to check out. You can see the the grown man with his 9-year-old boy with him, they’re trying to get a beverage and a snack, and they’re waiting in line — just like all of us would be at any time we’re in a store — and all of a sudden, a violent struggle breaks out in the back of the store, and it just gets out of hand.”
Fowler praised the store owner for disarming Smith and preventing what could have been a far worse situation.
“You’re not going to forget this, right? How close a nine year old boy comes to losing his life and just a senseless act of violence from a predicate felon carrying a weapon, right?” Fowler said. “It doesn’t — it just — you can’t explain it.”