RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – A third man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a Zebulon store clerk that occurred during a robbery in October.
The shooting occurred at the Shop-N-Go convenience store off N.C. Highway 39 a little after 11 p.m. on Oct. 27, authorities said.
Julien Antonio Allen, 19, was arrested Thursday in New Hanover County and transferred to Johnston County.
Allen was wanted by Johnston County authorities on first-degree murder and robbery charges in connection with the death of Esmail Al-Shami, 29, and a felony assault charge in the shooting of Ricky Lynch, 51, which occurred during the same robbery.
Lynch suffered serious, but non-life threatening injuries and survived.
Allen was also wanted on charges out of Raleigh that were not connected to Al-Shami’s murder.
According to Raleigh police, Allen was wanted on one count of robbery with a dangerous weapon, one count of conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, and two counts of second-degree kidnapping.
Those charges relate to the Dec. 9 robbery of the Metro PCS store at 3110 New Bern Ave., police said. The kidnapping charges came from moving store employees from one area of the store to another during the crime.
The New Hanover County arrest came not long after two other men were charged with murder in connection with the case and a woman was also charged.
Darius Dontae McCalston, 28, of Raleigh, Omari Alexander Smith, 23, of Raleigh, and Grecia Montes, 20, were arrested and charged in connection with the robbery and shooting death of Al-Shami.
McCalston and Smith are both charged with first-degree murder, robbery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a deadly weapon intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and felony conspiracy. Montes was charged with accessory after the fact.
McCalston and Smith are being held in the Wake County Detention Center under no bond.
Montes is in custody of the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. No bond information was provided.
Allen is being held without bond.
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