Customer Shot During Robbery Attempt At Business

For the second time in nine days, South Carolina authorities are looking for the man they said shot a woman during a robbery attempt at a business.

This time, it happened Thursday afternoon at the Cash on the Spot check-cashing business at Cherry Road and Heckle Boulevard in Rock Hill. Deputies said the robber shot a customer, 43-year-old Ida Lord, while trying to rob the store. Last week, a gunman shot a store clerk and the former mayor in Fort Mill.

Investigators said it's too early to tell if the two shootings are connected, but nearby workers said the two shootings are eerily similar.

"The guy comes in. He's nonchalant -- not nervous, hostile or anything. And it’s just like boom, boom, and boom. He does it, and he's gone," said a convenience store manager who didn't want to be identified.

Detectives spent hours at the scene Thursday, even using bloodhounds to track the shooter's scent until the trail ran cold about a mile from the business. Police have released surveillance pictures of the armed man. With the shooter still on the loose, folks like Pete Kicinski are on edge now. He said, "I'm always observant, but, yeah, I keep my eyes open a little bit wider now."

Lord is in critical condition at Carolinas Medical Center.

York County authorities plan to meet with Fort Mill investigators Friday to determine if the shootings are connected.