CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Chief of Detectives Lt. Tony Hazelett said it was difficult to watch the surveillance video which showed the shooting death of a teenage clerk at a Charleston business.
“You watch the clerk comply and do everything he was asking. He handed over everything and never made an aggressive move toward the suspect but as this juvenile was leaving the store he opened fire on him. It’s just ridiculous,” said Hazelett in explaining the investigation which resulted in the arrest of a 14-year-old boy.
The young suspect was taken into custody around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday less than five hours after Caden Martin, 19, of Dunbar, was shot and killed during an armed robbery of the Tobacco & Pipe shop on Charleston’s 7th Avenue.
“When we got to the establishment the victim was deceased behind the counter and had sustained multiple gunshot wounds,” Hazelett added.
Video surveillance in the store gave police their lead for the suspect. They were also able to determine he fled on foot toward the Kanawha River and used a K-9 to help track his movements. He was arrested in the North Charleston area. Since he’s a juvenile, the teen ‘s name has not been released.
Tobacco Shop in North Charleston.
“It’s very brazen. You got what you wanted, you could have went about your way, but you had to stop and take a life,” said Hazelett.
Hazelett acknowledged 14 was a young age for a murder suspect, but unfortunately not the first time he’s dealt with such a thing.
“Unfortunately, I dealt with the same age suspect in a 2009 homicide, so it’s not unheard of,” he added.
It’s the second murder of the new year in Charleston and both of them happened in close proximity. Hazelett said it’s not a bad neighborhood and the two killings in the same general area was just a coincidence. The first murder was a domestic incident.