911 calls released after Family Dollar employee shot during robbery

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police are searching for two people after a Family Dollar employee was shot during an armed robbery Tuesday night inside the store in east Charlotte.

The shooting happened around 6:15 p.m. at the store on East Sugar Creek Road.

Police said one of the suspects went behind the counter and was trying to take money from the register when Timothy Laney, 40, came up behind him. That's when the suspect turned and fired several shots.

911 Calls

• 911 Call: "He's laying on the floor he's shot
• 911: "I heard two shots"

Laney was hit in the leg and once in the torso, but the injuries are not life-threatening, officials told Channel 9.

He was rushed to Carolinas Medical Center where he underwent surgery. A family member told Channel 9 that he was released from the hospital and is back home.

One man, whose daughter was inside the store with her own children during the shooting, rushed to the scene.

“I just rushed right over because I was in fear of safety for my grandkids and her,” Terrence Ponder said. “Yeah, it was a shocking moment. I can't begin to count the blessings knowing that they're OK.”

Police are still searching for two men who fled the scene after the shooting and released surveillance photos of the suspects.

"It's senseless,” Ponder said. “People should have more value over human life than whatever was taken from the store."

One of the things that police said was unusual about the crime is the ages of the suspects -- detectives think that both men are in their 40s or 50s.

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