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Police have released two sketches for the people accused of shooting and killing a store clerk in a possible robbery inside a Silver Spring variety store.
Montgomery County (web|news) Police said it happened at the Variedades Jenny store in the 600 block of University Blvd East at around 4:10 p.m. When police arrived, they found Jorge Villatoro, 53-years-old, dead inside the store.
As police hand out flyers with the composite sketch of the suspected trigger man in both the fatal shooting and carjacking, they also question day laborers to see if they recognize the man.
"I'm frightened. I mean, I don't even feel like being here now, but you know, what can I do," said tattoo artist John Nguyen. He works in the tattoo shop a couple doors down from the variety store. One of his coworkers, who doesn't want to be identified, said she and her customer heard the gunfire. "He know that that's a gunshot so he ran out ran out the store and saw two like Mexican guy."
Villatoro's daughter bought the store for her father two years ago. Many people in the community knew him as a gentle man who immigrated from El Salvador 25 years ago and spent most of his time at the store, helping with an adult soccer team, or with his family.
Two suspects were seen leaving the store after the shooting. Shortly after at 4:15 p.m., police went to the 700 block of University Boulevard East for reports of an armed carjacking. A Comcast cable van was taken in the carjacking, according to police. The driver was not injured.
The abandoned van was later recovered at the intersection of 12th Avenue and Ruatan Street, across the Prince George's County line.
Investigators think the motive was a robbery, but nothing was taken from the store. "I don't know what it was. Honestly, I mean, he was a good guy," said Villatoro's family.
At a fabric shop in the area, Phi Nguyen said she has heard of burglaries in her 17 years of owning the shop, but knows of no armed robberies or assaults on merchants. "We scared. You afraid. We afraid."
Detectives are investigating the two incidents as if they are connected. Police said they are looking for two Hispanic males.
Detectives have developed two computer-created composites of the suspects believed to be involved in both the fatal shooting and carjacking. One suspect is described as a Hispanic male, 32 to 38 years old, 5'5" to 5'10" tall, weighing 180 pounds, with a stocky-build. He has a mustache and black hair, wearing a waist-length, camouflage jacket, blue jeans, black boots, a plain black baseball cap, and sunglasses.
The other suspect is described as a Hispanic male, in his 30's, 5'8" tall and weighing 140 pounds. He has a medium complexion, thin face, and medium-length black hair which was combed back. He had a front, gold-framed tooth like a gold crown.
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call 240-773-5070.
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