7-Eleven Store Clerk Shot, Killed While At Work, Suspected Shooter On-The-Run

A metro 7-Eleven store clerk was gunned down on Thursday while on the job. Oklahoma City police said the shooter who is now accused of murder is on the run. 

There were no witnesses to the deadly shooting that happened near Southwest 15th Street and Mustang Road, according to police. Investigators are relying on the store's surveillance video and any clues the suspect may have left inside the store. 

Police said it appeared to have started as a robbery. 

“For whatever reason she followed him out into the parking lot,” said MSgt. Gary Knight with the Oklahoma City Police Department. “Where she was shot and killed.”

The victim was identified as Laura Taylor, 30, and she did not even have time to call 911. Police said someone in the area heard gunshots and called police.

“When officers arrived, they found a female laying in the parking lot deceased,” said Knight. 

Throughout the day investigators continued to look for clues at the store where Taylor worked as a clerk for a little more than a month.

“This is another crime against 7-Eleven in a short amount of time,” said Monica Pickens, resident. 

Pickens and her friend did not know the victim but visited the store and expressed their concerns for employees who work late at night. A 7-Eleven clerk at a store not far from there was shot and killed last year.

‘It’s absolutely terrifying,” said Cassie Kinet, resident. “My husband works about a mile down the road at a hotel, a third shift. He’s by himself at night and it’s a constant fear.”

They brought flowers for Taylor and prayed for her loved ones and the person who took her life.

‘We just pray that the person who did this comes forth,” said Pickens. “That they find them.”

7-Eleven officials offered a statement to News 9.

"Our hearts are with the victim's family. We are gathering information and working with local law enforcement. The store is currently closed while police complete their investigation."

Police said it was possible the victim ran after the suspect to get the direction they fled or to catch a tag number on a car.