Gas Station Clerk Murdered During Armed Robbery, Tennessee Cops Say

A man tried to rob a Shell station in Tennessee but killed the clerk instead, police said. Now, the suspect faces a murder charge.

Around 3 a.m. on Aug. 30, police in Smyrna, Tennessee, responded to the Shell station for an attempted armed robbery.

Investigators said a man came into the store, pulled out a gun and demanded money from the register.

The suspect shot the clerk, Nicholas Patterson, and fled the store, police said. Patterson was taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Investigators identified Keanthony Williams, 31, as the suspect and he was arrested in Tennessee on Aug. 31.

Williams was charged with first-degree murder and attempted aggravated robbery.