CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Marking a grim milestone while also expressing heartfelt concern for the teller victim, State Employees' Credit Union last week experienced what it said is the first injury resulting from an armed robbery at one of its branches.
"We are all struggling with what happened and working to support one of our employees, a single parent," said Robert Hall, executive vice president.
The female teller was shot once in the abdomen during an armed robbery April 1 at SECU's Airport Center Parkway Branch. The teller, who was not identified early on in accordance with police procedure, remained in serious but stable condition at a Charlotte hospital.
No mention was made of how much was taken in the robbery, but police said they are looking for three accomplices to the robber who walked into the branch and ordered another teller to hand over the cash. Agitated, the robber ended up shooting the teller victim who was seated nearby, said Hall.
Witnesses reported the four, in a getaway car after the shooting, threw money out car windows as dye packs were exploding.
Hall also pointed out that the robber started off by shooting into the ceiling, short circuiting many of the procedures that CUs are trained to follow in such situations
The Airport branch armed robbery, said Hall, was the first in SECU's history in which an individual was injured. SECU has 217 branches in its network. "We get about five robberies a year," he said. "Unfortunately, they are on the increase" at banks and credit unions.
SECU, Hall said, is setting up a fund and making other arrangements to
assist its employee.
--jrubenscut@aol.com
