JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Leona Fregat owns the convenience store across the street where the owner of a Northside cellphone store was shot Monday night.
"It's scary. It scares my customers, too," Fregat said. "Everybody tells me to be careful. Don't open the door don't go out."
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Police still have no leads as to who shot 45-year-old Samy Zahra, who remains in critical condition. They have a vague description of a man wearing a white shirt and dark pants who ran across the parking lot down Lem Turner Boulevard just after the shooting at Cellular Plus of Jacksonville about 7:30 p.m.
Zahra was the only one inside the store at the time. Police are not talking about possible motives, but Channel 4 crime analyst Ken Jefferson said he has seen a pattern of robberies of cellphone stores.
"I have noticed these stores are targets because most of these stores take payments," he said. "Because these individuals generally bring cash money, and the person robbing them or wanting to steal money know there are large quantities of cash in the store."
The area in the 8700 block of Lem Turner is no stranger to crime. A Jacksonville Sheriff's Office crime map shows three aggravated assaults and three robberies have occurred within a quarter-mile of the store so far this month.
Documents show Zahra owned the store for the last two years. He has a wife and four children.
"He is a nice guy to me," Fregat said. "Lately, I know he has big family to take care. All he do is for his family."
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous and could receive a $1,000 cash reward for information that leads to an arrest.