Off-duty officer opens fire on robbery suspects after pawn shop owner shot

MOUNT PLEASANT, N.C. — Authorities said three men are facing charges following a robbery and shooting Thursday morning in the Cabarrus County town of Mount Pleasant.

Officials told Channel 9 the shooting happened around 10:15 a.m. outside a pawn shop along West Franklin Street, close to the intersection of Highway 49.

According to the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office, an off-duty officer called and told authorities that they witnessed at least two people trying to rob the Mount Pleasant Sporting Goods and Pawn Store. The officer said one of the suspects shot the store owner during the robbery.

As the suspects were coming out of the pawn shop, the off-duty officer fired their personal gun at them. It was unclear on Thursday if any suspects were hit by that gunfire but authorities said all those involved in the crime were in custody.

On Friday, the sheriff’s office released more information about the crime. Officials said three men arrived at the pawn shop in a gray Ford Focus and during the robbery, the store owner was shot several times.

After the shooting, the three suspects got back into the Ford and drove off. A short time later, investigators said that car showed up at Stanly County Memorial Hospital in Albemarle and dropped off 21-year-old Sean Christian Parker.

The other two men drove off from the hospital but deputies quickly spotted their car and pulled it over.

The two men in the car were identified as 20-year-old Makari Kireef-Shamaud Ridenhour and 18-year-old Maliq Raekwon Parker.

The three men were charged with the following:

• Sean Parker - Assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and robbery with a dangerous weapon. He was given a $750,000 secured bond.
• Maliq Parker - Assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, two counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon and discharging a weapon into occupied property. He was given a $1,000,000 secured bond.
• Makari Ridenhour - Possession of stolen goods. He was given a $1,000 secured bond.

Ridenhour was not present at the time of the robbery, authorities said.

“It’s crazy,” resident Chase Styers said. “Nothing like this happens around here.”

Styers said word about the attempted robbery and shooting spread quickly.

“I woke up and I heard the helicopters going around, and I am like, what’s going on?” Styers said. “It’s insane, man. It is very shocking.”

Nearby restaurant and ice cream shop Pleasant Memories co-owner Wes Frye said incidents like this can happen anywhere.

“It’s one of those things that anywhere you are at, could happen. It doesn’t matter how small your town is or anything. It can always happen.”

The pawn store owner was in stable condition in a hospital Monday.

Channel 9 Skyzoom flew over the scene and could see dozens of emergency vehicles and crime scene tape roping off the Shell gas station, directly next to the pawn shop.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations was called to conduct an investigation into the officer’s actions and the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office will be investigating the robbery and shooting of the store owner.

No other information has been released.

Return to wsoctv.com for updates on this story.

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