Central Alabama CrimeStoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the person responsible for the shooting deaths of three people Tuesday at a Montgomery store.
Investigators say the incident happened just before 9 p.m. at Tienda Los Hermanos, a Hispanic grocery store in the 4100 block of Troy Highway.
Police located three people with severe gunshot wounds. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, and one died at a local hospital.
The victims were identified as George Elijah Jr., 50, and Daniel Lopez, 20, who died at the scene. Romero Lopez, 43, succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. The Lopezs were reportedly father and son.
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said at a Wednesday news conference that the victims were targeted because they were believed to be “easy prey.”
Reed said robbers believe Hispanic-owned businesses like Tienda Los Hermanos, make good targets because of the likelihood they carry a larger amount of cash than other stores, along with the belief that they are less likely to cooperate with authorities.
“There are people who believe that those who may not speak English as a first language are easy targets, and that’s the most sickening part of this,” he said.
Anyone with information is asked to call police, or CrimeStoppers at its 24-hour tip line at 334-215-STOP (7867) or 1-833-AL1-STOP (251-7867) or download the P3-tips app. Make sure you receive a Tip ID and Password in order to dialog with Investigators in case there is a follow-up question.
