By Andy Sevilla
It all happened in less than one minute.
According to police an armed man walked into a smoke shop in San Marcos over the weekend, attempted rob the business and ended up shooting a worker during a struggle inside the store.
Police now are looking for the suspect they say critically injured an employee at the Gotta Habit smoke shop when he shot him once in the chest at about 6 p.m. Sunday.
Police have identified the victim as 25 year-old Patrick William Reilly.
In video surveillance released Monday by police, the armed suspect is seen entering the smoke shop located at 700 North LBJ Drive, across the street from the Texas State University campus, while brandishing a pistol.
The surveillance video captured the short moments between the suspect entering the smoke shop and the store clerk lying in the doorway critically injured with a gunshot to the chest.
Riley is seen in the video lunging at the suspect, knocking down a display case along the way. A gunshot was fired, hitting Riley, but the two continued to struggle for a few seconds before the suspect fled the scene and the shooting victim fell to the floor.
Police said the suspect headed toward the Treehouse Apartment at 800 North LBJ Drive. A search for the suspect by multiple agencies and a K-9 unit Sunday evening was unsuccessful.
Though the case is being investigated as an armed robbery, it is unknown at this time if anything was stolen during the incident. Police said Monday they are also investigating why two recent robberies at the business were not reported to authorities.
Reilly was transported to University Medical Center Brackenridge in critical condition, according to police. No update on his condition was offered Monday.
Anyone with information about the suspect or his whereabouts is asked to call 911 or post tips at www.citizenobserver.com or Crime Stoppers of Hays County at www.callcrimestoppers.com.