Skip to main content

Man arrested after Vancouver convenience store clerk shot during doorway conversation

Tips for protecting convenience and gas staff and owners from violent crimes.
9/14/2026
bullet hole in window
Image: Shutterstock
bullet hole in window
Image: Shutterstock

Video surveillance shows a Vancouver convenience store clerk sitting behind a counter speaking to a man standing in the doorway before the suspect appears to calmly shoot the clerk.

The gun isn't visible, but there's a flash of the muzzle and then the clerk jumps up and grabs his leg. 

The video obtained by The Canadian Press also shows the suspect push the door open and walk off. 

READ: Tips for workplace violence prevention

A 32-year-old man has been arrested and charged with aggravated assault and assault with a weapon for what Vancouver police say was a robbery at the store

Police say the shooting happened Sept. 6 at the store near Main Street and 16th Avenue in the city's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.

READ: Ask the Expert: Enhancing retail security through community collaboration and technology

Advertisement - article continues below
Advertisement

The clerk suffered serious injuries and police say they used the surveillance video and other evidence to identify their suspect, Victor Sorensen-Avila

READ: Crime management for convenience store operators

The department says Kamloops RCMP contacted them the same day to say that the man had been arrested in the B.C. Interior in an unrelated case.

The accused remains in custody in Kamloops pending a bail hearing.

In the video, the man in the doorway does not raise his arms from his side before there is the flash at hip height, and the clerk clutches his right leg and hobbles away.

X
This ad will auto-close in 10 seconds