Clerk shot during Spanaway robbery; three detained

A Spanaway convenience store clerk was shot Thursday afternoon during a robbery, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department reported.

Three people later were detained and questioned by detectives in connection with the incident, which occurred about 2:30 p.m. at a store near 166th Street South and Pacific Avenue South, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.

Troyer gave this account:

A gunman walked into the store and demanded money. Shots then were fired and the clerk was hit. The 30-year-old woman was taken to an area hospital for treatment. She underwent surgery Thursday afternoon. Troyer said about 7:45 p.m. that she was stable.

“The fire department did a good job getting her stable and getting her to the hospital,” he said.

Deputies found a gun at the scene that appeared to have been fired. They were investigating whether the clerk shot back or if the gunman dropped the firearm while fleeing.

Deputies searched the area for a white 2000 Ford Taurus station wagon believed connected to the shooting, Troyer said.

They later stopped the car near South 84th and Hosmer streets in Tacoma and found inside a man, a woman and a child who appeared to be about 12, Troyer said.

“We are requesting search warrants for the car and the store,” Troyer said. “Our investigation is continuing.”

No one had been arrested as of 7:45 p.m.

This story was originally published February 18, 2016 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Clerk shot during Spanaway robbery; three detained."