Employees of a Midtown convenience store said the crime is so bad at the location that it is hard to keep employees.
The store takes up a whole city block between Fannin, San Jacinto, Gray, and Webster.
Following the report of a murder on ABC13 in July 2023, Troy Finner, former chief of the Houston Police Department, vowed to designate patrols to the area to reduce crime.
A month after pleading with police for help, Sami Fardeen, the now-former manager of the convenience store at the Sunoco Gas Station, said things had improved.
“No more crime,” Fardeentold ABC13 on Aug. 29, 2023. “No more dope dealers. No more guns. Everything is going good nowadays.”
Current store employees, who did not wish to be identified for their safety, said Fardeen no longer works there. They said it is hard to keep employees because the store is so dangerous.
On Aug. 16 and again on Sept. 2, an employee of the store was robbed at gunpoint. Current employees said he quit after that.
Two employees working Friday have a combined 65 years of experience working in convenience stores and said this is the worst one they have ever worked at.