A store owner was wounded and another man killed by gunfire during a robbery inside a downtown Catonsville convenience store Tuesday night, according to Baltimore County police.

Police have no suspect in the shootings, said Cpl. Michael Hill, a spokesman.

An officer responding to the Yours convenience store in the 700 block of Frederick Road about 7 p.m. was met by the store’s owner, Sudhir Shah, 55, who had called police, Hill said.

After realizing Shah had been shot, the officer looked into the store and saw another man lying on the floor who also appeared to have been shot, Hill said.

The man on the floor, a customer later identified as Brian Michael Meise, 52, of the 100 block of Ingleside Avenue, was declared dead at the scene, Hill said.

Shah was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center and taken immediately into surgery, Hill said. Shah was listed in critical but stable condition on Wednesday.

Police say the crime was the result of a robbery, Hill said.

During the incident, the gunman shot the two men, both in the upper body, “for no apparent reason,” police said.

The gunman took an undisclosed amount of cash from the store before running in an unknown direction, police said.

A search was unsuccessful, police said.

Detectives are reviewing video surveillance tapes from the store and any tapes they can find from cameras elsewhere in the area, Hill said.

The convenience store sits in a busy shopping center set back off Frederick Road between Egges Lane and Ingleside Avenue.

Teal Cary, executive director of the Greater Catonsville Chamber of Commerce, said she was “shocked” by the shootings.

“We can’t be discouraged by it. We just have to see what we can do in the future to prevent this from happening,” she said. “We can talk with our police and have more of a police presence here on Frederick Road. I think that’s needed.”

Arnold Mitchell, whose Arnold Mitchell Karate Academy is above the convenience store, agreed.

“You got too much stuff going on around here that the police aren’t addressing,” he said. “You would think the police would put their visibility up, but they’re not doing that.

“The only time you see them is when something happens.”

Mitchell said he was teaching a karate class in his academy Tuesday evening when he heard two loud bangs.

He said he knew they were gun shots but continued to teach to keep his students inside and safe.

“I knew gun shots didn’t mean peace,” he said.

Shortly after, a large number of police were outside —  “a little too late,” Mitchell said.

Seeing so many police officers probably came as a surprise to many local business owners, but should also serve as a lesson, Mitchell said.

“The whole corridor on Frederick Road, all those stores, they’re still in the 1960s,” Mitchell said.

“It’s 2010. You’ve got to protect yourselves.”

Mitchell suggested that all the Frederick Road businesses pitch in to hire uniformed security guards to patrol the downtown strip at all times.

Just the presence of a guard would make a difference, and wouldn’t be expensive, he said.

“It’s $10 an hour,” he said. “That ain’t heavy.”

An effort by area businesses would be a step in the right direction, he said.

“You don’t have to be afraid, but you have to protect yourself,” Mitchell said.

“Catonsville — they’re still living like it’s the ‘Leave it to Beaver’ days.”

This story has been updated.

---

user comments (3)

user catstevens says...

The only time I have ever seen police respond immediately in Catonsville was dealing with homeless men or skateboarders. I myself have even been the victim of a crime, and police assistance arrived roughly 10 minutes later. I mean, at least the have their priorities straight.

Posted 10:46 PM, 11.18.09

• Permalink

user lrgrand says...

I agree that we need more police presence in downtown Catonsville. However, I don't believe for a second that the police can be blamed in any way for the crime surge in the area. The police too often become the scapegoat for increased crime levels. Let's make sure the blame goes to the criminals who commit the crimes.

Posted 1:07 PM, 11.20.09

• Permalink

user larryz says...

For Catstevens: The police respond fast, depending on the call. I've had them show up for a robbery as fast as five minutes. A shoplifter will take twenty minutes to an hour. I have personal experience with both situations. Have you been to our local police station? The buildings are falling apart, the computers don't work half the time, and we need more officers. The budget for our police department is on the chopping block, yet at the same time they give our county executives an 8% raise. Maybe they need to redirect money toward the resources that really matter instead of lining the pockets of our county execs who already make 150K+. Yeah - defend yourself but at the same time, pay attention the next time you vote. Make sure we get what we pay for. We don't need wealthy executives. We need more local resources.

Posted 1:08 PM, 11.20.09

• Permalink