Hartford store employee shoots alleged robber after being pistol-whipped

HARTFORD — A store worker who was allegedly pistol-shipped during an attempted holdup shot one of the would-be robbers Tuesday morning, police said.

The wounded man was taken to Hartford Hospital, where he was in critical condition, Lt. Aaron Boisvert said. A second alleged thief got away.

According to Boisvert and preliminary information police gathered at the scene, the employee was working at a store in the 500 block of Park Street around 10:30 a.m. when two men rushed into the shop and at least one person assaulted him in what was described as an attempted robbery.

The employee reached for a gun and fired in the direction of the two men, seriously injuring one of them, Boisvert said. It isn’t clear if the worker wounded the second man as well, Boisvert said.