An employee of the O'Reilly Auto Parts store on Hamilton Mill Road was shot and killed by an armed robbery suspect Wednesday night, and authorities continue to search for the shooter.
Felix Cosme, 63, was identified as the victim. He was a retired from the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, where he was a deputy.
Cpl. Michele Pihera with the Gwinnett County Police Department said officers were called to the scene at 7:45 p.m. and found Cosme inside the store.
"There were two employees working at the store at the time of the incident," Pihera wrote in an email statement. "A female employee was outside assisting a customer when she noticed a black male seated in a vehicle in the parking lot. Based on the preliminary investigation, the black male followed her back inside when she was done with the customer. Once they got back inside, the suspect asked her to open the cash drawer."
Pihera said while the female employee was in the process of opening the drawer, her male co-worker walked out from the back of the store and saw what was happening.
"The male employee attempted to pull his weapon when he was shot by the suspect. The victim died at the scene," said Pihera.
Investigators said the shooter fled from the store, got into his vehicle and was last seen driving toward I-85.
At this point, Gwinnett police have not released a detailed description of the suspect.
