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Woman arrested for shooting Phoenix store worker while trying to stop robbers, police say

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Howard's Ace Hardware shooting.jpg
Posted at 9:53 AM, Jan 30, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-01 17:22:16-05

PHOENIX — A woman has been arrested after allegedly shooting a Phoenix Ace Hardware employee while attempting to stop two robbery suspects.

According to court paperwork, the incident happened around 9:15 a.m. Saturday, at the Ace Hardware near 32nd Street and Indian School Road.

Police say 45-year-old Nya Reyes was walking her dog in the area of the Ace Hardware when she saw two people running from the store holding items, followed by employees who were yelling at the two people telling them to stop.

Reyes observed the incident and realized the two people looked to be shoplifting.

One of the two alleged shoplifters got into a blue sedan in front of Reyes and began to drive away. The second person followed the vehicle and got in as it was driving away.

Reyes told police that she fired at least two “stop shots” toward the vehicle, in an attempt to disable the vehicle but not hurt anyone.

The vehicle drove away and it was discovered that one of the Ace Hardware employees was shot in his knee by Reyes.

Police say Reyes disabled the weapon and cooperated when they arrived. The employee was taken to the hospital and treated for his injury.

Reyes was arrested and faces charges for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a weapon within city limits.

No other details on the alleged shoplifters have been released.