PORT ARTHUR, Texas — The community is still reeling after a clerk was shot and killed at a Valero convenience store in west Port Arthur Monday night.
39-year-old Manoj Fernando, affectionately known as 'Anton' to friends and other coworkers, had recently moved to Bridge City from Sri Lanka.
Tragically, Anton barely had time to get settled into his new hometown before he was gunned down while working at the Valero just three days after being hired.
Tuesday night the store remained closed while employees mourned and police investigated.
Surveillance cameras at the store captured the gunman walking in the store and then murdering Anton just seconds after he went inside.
Police are still working to identify the man, and the community is still trying to understand why this happened.
The regional manager of the convenience store, also named Manoj Fernando, described Anton as a hard-worker, who never hesitated to work his shift with a smile.
"Losing him has a big effect on me, it's heartbreaking, like losing a brother, you know?" said Fernando.
Fernando oversees five stores in the Port Arthur area, and he says that all of them have already been robbed before.
"For the last sixty days they've robbed all five of my stores in Port Arthur. It's a really bad situation," said Fernando.
Fernando says that Monday's tragic shooting marked the second time this store in particular had been robbed.
"He (Anton) was making his coffee, and he didn't have time to reach in and get to the counter, and he didn't see him coming I guess," said Fernando.
Fernando said that the man came in the store dressed in all black and murdered Anton in cold blood.
"He just shot him straight, not even three or four feet away from him. He just started what got you to kill him?" said Fernando.
Fernando says though Anton was new to the store he had already established himself as a humorous, hard-worker who loved to cook.
"A month ago he cooked and invited everyone over to have dinner with him. When somebody needed off he didn't mind working long hours to give some other people a chance to rest," said Fernando.
Fernando says that the main reason Anton was working at the store, was to support his family back in Sri Lanka.
"He was taking care of his mom from here. His mom is paralyzed in Sri Lanka, so now that he's ended his life his family is going to suffer, and in the same way the person who did it is going to have consequences as well," said Fernando.
Fernando says that he wants justice for Anton, and for him and his employees to be able to work without fearing for their lives.
"We lost a life, a good life," said Fernando.
Police are still searching for the suspect. If anyone has any information on the identity of the shooter please call the Port Arthur Police Department.