Houston – Hours after beloved store clerk Steven Mendoza was shot and killed inside a gas station convenience store near Hobby airport, devoted customers showed up hoping the news was not true.
“He’s such a nice guy, a people’s guy, everybody knows him. If you come to this gas station, trust me, you’re going to know him,” said Edward McClain.
“I was just hurt. He’s almost like family,” said Linda Mack.
“Me and him used to hold conversations and talk. I’d talk about my kids to him,” said Tre Lee.
The store at the corner of the Gulf Freeway and Monroe Road turned into a crime scene around 12:45 am. Investigators said three men showed up in a car. One went inside the store, acting like he was going to buy something. He left and then returned to the store. At some point, police said two other men came inside. One of them immediately started shooting, killing Mendoza. All three men took off in a car, according to HPD.
“It looks like our clerk was also armed. Possibly knew, maybe that something was fixing to happen. We don’t know if he was actually firing any round,” said HPD Lt. R. Willkens.
“He always kept a firearm on him to protect himself at the end of the day,” said Lee.
This isn’t the first deadly shooting in the area.
“Every day I’m always on edge a little bit,” said McClain.
Deadly shootings are not the only problem in this area. According to HPD’s crime map, in the past month, 50 violent crimes have been reported within a mile radius of the store. Those include aggravated assaults, sexual assaults, car theft and robbery.
“I don’t even know if I’m going to keep coming up here because there’s too much going on in this corner,” said Mack.
Customers said they wouldn’t feel safe until the three men were caught.
Anyone with any information is asked to contact HPD.