Six Lynchburg residents charged in convenience store robbery

By Dave Thompson

Published: April 25, 2008

Lynchburg police have arrested and charged six city residents in the armed robbery that critically injured a city convenience store clerk Thursday night.

Capt. Todd Swisher said the six suspects were rounded up at various city locations throughout the day Friday.

Kionne Lyndale Pulley, 20, is the only adult charged in the case. The names of the five juveniles were not released.

Pulley is charged with aggravated malicious wounding, robbery, and two counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

At 10:24 p.m., Lynchburg police responded to the Citgo service station at 3618 Campbell Avenue, and found the clerk, Abderrahin Elfilali, the victim of an apparent gunshot wound.

Elfilali was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

Corey Harmon said he was on the scene early, and the second to call the police after the incident happened.

“When I pulled up, weren’t nobody here,” Harmon said.

He looked over the counter, and saw Elfilali lying on the floor with head injuries

“He did have a gash on the side of his head, but he was bleeding more from the nose, so I really couldn’t tell you where he was shot at,” Harmon said. “I called (911) as soon as I realized what had happened, that he had been robbed.”

Harmon said he stayed with Elfilali until medics arrived.

“I tried to talk to him, keep him conscious while I was there, with nobody in the store, and that was pretty much it.”

Priscilla Brown arrived at the scene after Harmon, and witnessed medics taking Elfilali into an ambulance.

“Blood was all over his head, his face, and I couldn’t tell if he was moving or not,” she said.

Police executed a search warrant at a home on Triangle Place Friday morning, gathering evidence related to the investigation.

None of the suspects was apprehended at that residence.

Of the five juveniles charged, three face charges of aggravated malicious wounding and armed robbery, one faces only armed robbery charges, and police charged the fifth with armed robbery, aggravated malicious wounding and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony.

Swisher said police believe some of those charged in the Campbell Avenue incident may be responsible for the April 26th robbery of the Sunshine Express Market on Pollard Street.

An employee there told police the store was robbed by three black men between the ages of 15 and 19 years old.

All were armed and had bandanas over their faces.

Swisher said he expects police to bring related charges in the future, but for now, the only charges are related to Thursday’s incident.

Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call the Lynchburg Police Department at 455-6054.