Sask. gas station staff stop man armed with gun

Three convenience store workers took matters into their own hands when an armed man burst into the Nipawin Esso Par-A-Mart Confectionery on Thursday afternoon.

Surveillance footage shows a man entering the store with a loaded sawed-off shotgun and yelling at staff, who quickly run in the other direction.

Initially it looks like they were simply fleeing, running into a back area.

When the armed man reaches the counter, two men emerge from the backroom, one tackles the gunman from behind and a second employee hits him over the head with a fold-up chair.

The bravery of the staff takedown at the Esso on the east side of the community has been getting attention on social media.

General Manager Brennan Jardine says he wasn’t on site at the time but has talked at length with the three employees involved who have been with the company for 4 years, 8 months and 6 months.

“Morale is good right now and the three employees are back working, but we’re going to offer them counselling if needed,” Jardine told CTV News.

One staff member called 911 while the two others held the robber on the ground. Jardine estimates they held him for about 10 minutes until police arrived.

Intervening in a robbery can be very dangerous and is not expected of employees, Jardine said.

“I wouldn’t suggest for people to do it, and I wouldn’t have told them to do that. I think they did the right thing. Had they done it different, the guy might have gotten away with what he was after, but he also might have shot them,” Jardine said.

Jardine oversees both the Nipawin Par-A-Mart and the former Cumberland Crossing Inn (now a Travelodge in Prince Albert), both owned by the Cumberland House Cree Nation.

Jardine said he and the First Nation take the safety of guests and staff very seriously and the robbery issue in Nipawin is the first that he’s heard of in the community.

Before the incident Jardine said they had already made plans to increase security measures in an attempt to keep everyone safe.

With word getting out in the community, Jardine heard from staff that many customers are coming in and offering their support. However, others are making jokes about the robbery attempt and pretending to rob the store when they come in. He urges people to be sensitive to staff who are dealing with PTSD from the stressful encounter.

The general manager hopes to use the video as a tool to help train staff moving forward.

After the attack, the store was closed for the remainder of the night but reopened Friday morning.

RCMP have charged 25-year-old Robert McKay of Shoal Lake with multiple charges, including robbery with a firearm, pointing a firearm, wearing a disguise with intent, possession of a weapon contrary to an order, having a restricted gun without a license, and failing to comply with a probation order.

McKay made his first court appearance on the charges in Melfort Provincial Court on Monday, December 12.