Clerk Gunned Down in Duarte for $30 During 7-Eleven Robbery

Two armed robbers escaped with less than $30 and some Lotto tickets after fatally shooting a night clerk early Monday at a 7-Eleven store in Duarte. The father of five was killed as he knelt on the floor, obeying his assailants until the moment of his death.

Three suspects in the case were arrested Monday afternoon and later booked on suspicion of murder.

Deputies said a store surveillance tape shows two robbers rifling through drawers behind the counter as the 51-year-old clerk, Syed Hussain, helped with the cash register.

“He seemed to comply, he seemed to do everything right,” said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Bob Killeen. “He didn’t resist. There was no struggle.”

After spending more than three minutes looking for cash and other valuables behind the counter, one of the gunmen on the videotape grabbed Hussain and forced him to the ground. The other robber then faced Hussain and shot him.

Two customers later found Hussain’s body behind the counter.

“In 17 years of investigating murders,” said Det. Gil Carrillo, “I haven’t seen many cases where a store clerk was shot for no apparent reason.”

Hussain’s wife and children, ages 15 to 20, began to worry about him when they called the store and no one answered.

“We went down there,” said 20-year-old Shumaila Hussain, crying, “and he was dead.”

She said he had brought them to the United States from Pakistan in 1985 for better opportunities and education.

“He worked every night, seven nights a week,” she said. “He never took a day off.”

Regular customers, arriving at the store for their morning coffee, said Hussain was well-liked.

“He was a good friend,” said Roxanne Gonzales, 19. “When my dad had a stroke, he was always consoling me, asking if he felt better.”

Sheriff’s deputies said the three men detained Monday afternoon were still being questioned at the Temple City sheriff’s station late Monday. The identities of the three were not made public.

“It’s a nightmare. They killed a guy for 30 bucks,” said Mark Beasley, who works at the Domino’s Pizza next door. “You hear about this on the news, but when it happens next door, it’s a whole different picture.”

Around 12:22 a.m. Monday, two black men--one wearing a black jacket and blue baseball cap and the other wearing a blue jacket with the letters DISS USA on the back--approached the counter, according to the surveillance tape, which was released by authorities. Hussain, who co-owned the store with his brothers, was working alone.

They walked behind the counter and forced Hussain to the ground. Hussain watched for several minutes as the suspects looked through drawers and grabbed Lotto tickets.

Eventually, he stood up to help with the cash register. Then he leaned against the counter, seemingly relaxed, while they pulled out scrolls of Lotto tickets.

Seconds later, he was shot.

The men arrested were identified as Michael Reese, 38; Calvin Capers, 21; and Roland Bynum, 24, all of Duarte. What role each allegedly played in the crime was not made clear.