Eastern Cape clothing store staff receive trauma counselling after deadly armed robbery

Shocked shoppers watch on as police and crime scene experts do their work following a Jet store robbery on Thursday.

• Nineteen employees at a Jet clothing store in Qonce are receiving trauma counselling after an attempted armed robbery.
• A CIT guard who was in the store to collect cash managed to foil the robbers’ plans.
• One gunman was shot dead during the deadly stand-off.
  

While police continue to hunt for two gunmen involved in a foiled business robbery at a Jet clothing story in Qonce last Thursday, 19 employees are receiving trauma counselling following their ordeal.

Three armed men entered the Market Square Jet store and forced staff into an office, while they attempted to rob the store of cash and gadgets. 

READ | Robber shot dead, accomplices flee empty-handed after foiled Eastern Cape store robbery

But an alert cash-in-transit security guard, who was in the store to collect cash, managed to foil the robbers’ plans when he opened fire on them.

One of the robbers was shot twice by the guard inside the store. He died shortly afterwards outside the shop, while his accomplices fled the scene empty handed.

Foschini Group Limited, which owns Jet stores countrywide, said it had arranged counselling for all 19 employees who had experienced the robbery. 

Spokesperson Jacqui O’Connor said two people had entered the store, before approaching the cellphone consultant and demanding handsets and cash.

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“During this time, an armed cash-in-transit officer was in the back office conducting a pick-up. When he heard the suspects, he hid and waited for an opportune time to leave.

“On his way out, he encountered the suspects and fired two shots, fatally wounding one suspect,” she said, adding that the remaining suspects evaded arrest.

O’Connor said, besides the trauma, no one had been injured.

“The Jet store encountered no merchandise losses. All affected Jet employees are receiving trauma counselling. TFG is working closely with SAPS on this case,” she added. 

Eastern Cape police are investigating a case of attempted business robbery.