Dallas police are searching for as many as four men after a security guard was gunned down and killed during a robbery attempt early Tuesday morning.
Officials said the men were attempting to rob the Bruton Food Deli on the 2000 block of North Masters Drive in Pleasant Grove when they rushed Rodney Rone, 46, and shot him several times.
Alisa Pennington and her family live near the deli and said they took cover after hearing five or six gunshots.
"I peeked out the window and I saw three guys, but they were totally covered head to toe in black. I saw a gun pointing, but I didn't see anybody else because there is an ice box thing in the way. I don't know, I freaked out. Everyone in my house was yelling and screaming," said Pennington.
After the shooting, witnesses said the men left the deli in two vehicles, a maroon SUV and a gray sedan. A better description of the shooter(s) and vehicles are not yet available.
Pennington said she and her family rushed to help Rone, who, according to witnesses, had been shot in the chest and leg.
"He was lying right over there on the ground near the ice box, real short breaths, he wasn't doing too well," Pennington said.
Paramedics rushed Rone to Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas where he later died.
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Pennington added that she only knew the guard by his first name, but said she was devastated to learn of his death. Her family said they planned to put flowers in front of the store in his memory.
"He was very courteous, He didn't try to make problems or confrontations unless need be. He just tried to do his job," Pennington said.
Two female clerks who were inside the deli when the shooting occurred were not injured and it is not yet known what, if anything, the men took from the deli.
Dallas police said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing. The business has security cameras and investigators are reviewing the security footage to see if the men can be identified.
NBC 5's Frank Heinz contributed to this report.
