A woman working at a smoke shop in north Houston was robbed at gunpoint while her young daughter was inside the store with her.
The robbery took place last Friday around 7:40 p.m. at a smoke shop on Grant Road in the Willowbrook area. Daphne Stevenson, the only employee on duty at the time, was confronted by two men who entered the store pretending to be customers.
“One already had a ski mask on, and the other had a backpack,” Stevenson recalled. “I told them we don’t allow ski masks in here, and surprisingly, one of them actually took it off. The other man had no mask on at all—just his full face exposed. He started talking to me, trying to distract me.”
Security footage shows Stevenson’s young daughter behind the counter with her. Suddenly, one of the men pulled out a gun and aimed it at her while the other grabbed merchandise and stuffed it into a backpack.
“My life flashed before my eyes. I thought I was going to die,” Stevenson said.
Meanwhile, the two intruders forced the mother and daughter into the stockroom, where one of them continued to search through newly received inventory.
Security camera footage captured one of the robbers issuing threats, warning Stevenson not to move or speak.
“Stay right there. Stay right there,” he said. “If you move, I’m going to shoot your kid.”
The shop had just received a shipment containing approximately $9,500 worth of products from multiple suppliers.
The employee and store owners reported the incident to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. According to the shop’s owner, this is not the first time they have been targeted.
“In the past few months, these guys have shown up maybe four or five times,” said Hamza Amir, the owner of the store. “I just can’t believe it. How can someone be this reckless?”
Authorities are asking anyone with information that could help identify the suspects to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip through their website.
