Store owner feels blessed he wasn’t hit by gunfire during police chase, shooting


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SALT LAKE CITY — A gunman led police on a chase through the streets of Salt Lake City on April 8 — a chase that ended in a hail of gunfire after the gunman crashed his truck into a store.

The store was Princess Alterations, 3339 S. State St., in South Salt Lake. Police opened fire on the suspect, Harold Vincent Robinson, 37, killing him at the scene.

Two weeks later, the building is still in shambles and the owners say they can’t stay there.

The business is now boarded up; the interior walls, along with dresses, shirts and other clothing, are riddled with bullet holes. Shattered glass covers the floor. The little shop looks like an explosion went off inside.

Thaer Hassan was working in the back of the store when the truck crashed through it. He called his wife.

“He was screaming ‘help me, help me.’ I asked what happened,” Saadiyah Hassan said. “He said, ‘I don’t know what’s going on here.’”

While devastated over the damage to their store, the Hassans feel grateful it wasn’t worse, and it definitely could have been.

They said one of the shots fired could have hit Thaer. They showed a bullet hole in the back of the store as evidence of how close he was. Fortunately, he stepped away from his work area right before the shooting started.

“He’s very lucky,” Saadiyah Hassan said. “He says God blessed me.”

The Hassans will now have to rebuild, but because of memories that are now too painful they say it will have to be somewhere else.

“For my husband’s problems, we’re going to have to move,” Saadiyah Hassan said. “We’re not going to stay here.”

The Hassans have had to close up shop while they wait for the insurance company to assess the damage. A GoFundMe page* has been set up to help as well.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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