Video of pawn shop shooting and robbery released by police in effort to gather tips

Police in Edmonton released video Monday of a violent robbery that left two pawn shop workers with gunshot wounds.

The security footage shows two men entering Big C Pawn, located at 4603 118 Ave., on Dec. 16 at 1:31 p.m.

Both are wearing black hoodies and face coverings.

In the video, one man locks a security gate covering the front door, while the other points a handgun at two employees working at desks.

The man at the front door then walks to a glass case, smashes it and stuffs several pieces of jewelry into a blue shopping bag.

As he walks to the front door with the bag, the man with the gun shoots both employees as they lay face down on the ground.

Co-owner Mitchel Zohner was one of the people who was shot. He said he still doesn't understand why.

"That kinda blew my mind. You usually do what they say and no one gets hurt, right? That's the motto. I have kids at home, I'm not going to fight anybody. Just the day before, my daughter was here," he told reporters Monday.

"I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt. Could have been a lot worse."

Zohner said he was shot in the kneecap and his coworker was shot in the thigh. He said he still feels pain.

Zohner plans to add more security to his store, but keep working.

"I just hope somebody comes forward and helps get these guys stopped before they actually kill somebody," Zohner said.

"Everybody that goes to work wants to make it home to their families."

'THIS IS A PRIORITY FOR US'

Both robbers left through the front door. The entire heist lasted less than two minutes, according to timecodes stamped to the video that police provided.

“The brazenness of this daytime robbery, and the willingness of the suspects to shoot cooperative employees, is extremely concerning,” said Det. Mike Walkom of Edmonton Police Service.

“We really need the public’s help to identify these dangerous individuals so that they don’t cause harm to anyone else.”

Walkom said it was both "disturbing" and "an oddity" that the robber chose to shoot both employees.

"Typically, our robberies that happen, the people will threaten violence, or they'll use a small amount of it. The violence that happened on December 16, the people being shot, that's absolutely unnecessary and unprovoked," he said.

"Both of our employees followed every demand that the suspects had. They did nothing to provoke these people and yet they still got shot. This is a rarity, but it is also why this is a priority for us."

One of the suspects was wearing a white facemask, black hoodie, black toque and black pants.

The other was wearing grey pants, red underwear, black jacket, black shoes, tan and black gloves and a baseball hat with red brim.

Police also released photos of several distinct pieces of jewelry that were taken with the hope that someone will recognize them and provide information on the case.

Anyone who recognizes the men or the jewelry is asked to call EPS at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS). 

Items that EPS says were stolen during a robbery at Big C Pawn in Edmonton on December 16, 2022 (Credit: EPS.)Items that EPS says were stolen during a robbery at Big C Pawn in Edmonton on December 16, 2022 (Credit: EPS.)