Employee shot, wounded at Virginia Apple store

An employee was shot Friday at this Apple store on Clarendon Blvd. in Arlington, Va. Customers were inside the store when the shooting happened, but no one else was injured, police say.

(Credit: Apple)

Update at 11:25 a.m. PDT July 4: Police have released two surveillance tapes on YouTube of the suspect entering the store and of the suspect fleeing the scene.

An employee at an Apple store near Washington D.C. was shot and wounded Friday morning, police have confirmed. The victim, a 26-year-old woman, is currently at an area hospital recovering from a wound to the right shoulder. She is said to be in serious but stable condition.

Police say the shooting occurred about 10:15 a.m. EDT at the Arlington, Va., Apple store at 2700 Clarendon Blvd., in a busy, upscale shopping area. Some media outlets are calling the incident an attempted robbery, but Detective Crystal Nosal of the Arlington Police Department told CNET News it's "still too early to tell." The victim, Nosal said, "is obviously under medication in the hospital so interviewing is difficult."

Someone rang a doorbell at a back service entrance of the store, according to police. A short time later, another employee heard a gunshot.

Police say customers were present in the store at the time of the shooting, and employees helped them exit. No other people were injured.

Mike Evans, a software developer, was shopping for a new laptop at the time of the shooting and told The Washington Post at least a dozen employees and about 30 customers were inside when he heard what he thought was "boxes falling."

"It never crossed my mind that there would be a shooting there, in Clarendon," Evans told the newspaper. "An employee went to the back room and then we heard a woman's scream. I didn't wait to find out what happened."

Police are describing the suspect as a black male between 35 and 45, with a medium build and facial hair. He was wearing light-colored pants, a light-colored short sleeve shirt, and a dark baseball hat. He was carrying a handgun.

Police say the incident does not appear to be related to any other crimes in the area.

"We are shocked by this senseless act of violence and our thoughts are with this co-worker and her family," Steve Dowling, a spokesman for Apple's corporate headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., told the The Washington Post. "We're working with police to catch the person who committed this act."

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the Arlington County Police Department tip line at 703-228-4242 or Detective Alan Lowrey at 703- 228-4199. Lowrey can also be reached via e-mail at Alowrey@arlingtonva.us.