But before help could arrive, the three men were already shot and fighting for their lives.
Holt Elijah said the store’s owner was one of his father’s customers with his credit card processing business.
He said the shooting is a tragedy that has affected not only his family but also their good friends.
“He was involved in their family a lot,” Holt Elijah said of his dad and the Lopez family.
Now, two families are trying to pick up the pieces and carry forward.
“I’m trying to keep his dream going, you know?” Holt Elijah said of his father. “He wouldn’t want me to sit here and pout about it. He just wanted me to always be successful.”
Alabama police said they are actively searching for those responsible for the deadly robbery.
The Elijah family said they are preparing to say goodbye to George Elijah, finalizing funeral plans for a man gone too soon.
“George loved his family, especially Holt, more than anything,” Grayson Harris shared on a GoFundMe that has been made for the Elijah family.
Central Alabama Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect/s involved in Tuesday’s shooting.
