LCSO: Arrest made in convenience store clerk death

TICE, Fla. – Police have arrested a man in connection to the alleged killing of a convenience store clerk who was found dead Monday morning inside the Gulf Express at 4843 Palm Beach Blvd., the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said.

LCSO arrested Christopher Harris, 24, around 2:30 p.m. Monday a law enforcement source said. Harris is charged with robbery with a firearm, homicide, and possession of a weapon by a convicted U.S. felon.

Family members identified the victim as 62-year-old Syed Ahad.

“I was so sad. I was shocked,” said Samir Syed, Ahad’s brother-in-law. “They killed him.  Somebody shoot him, it was a robbery.”

Syed also works at a local convenience store and says they all know they take a risk when they work overnight, especially in the Tice area, “this is a dangerous job that we are doing, you know?”

April Phipps works down the street at another convenience store. She says one of her customers stopped at the Gulf Express first Monday morning but didn’t see anybody working and left.

Phipps says she called the store several times and when no one answered, she called 911.

“I said nobody is answering the phone, there’s nobody at Gulf, something’s going on,” Phipps said.