SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — 31-year-old William McLendon, the man accused of shooting a gas station worker at a BP / 7-Eleven in Shaker Heights, made his first court appearance in the case Wednesday morning where bond was set at $500,000.
McLendon allegedly fired 16 shots, eight of which struck the victim during the incident in the 20400 block of Chagrin Boulevard early Tuesday morning.
McLendon, who has been charged with attempted murder, is due back in Shaker Heights Municipal Court for a preliminary hearing at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, March 1.
Police say officers responded to the scene of the shooting around 6:33 a.m.
“Officers learned the employee, a 34-year-old Shaker Heights man, had been involved in a verbal altercation with an unknown male customer that escalated into a physical altercation where the customer produced a handgun and shot the employee multiple times, then left the area in a light-colored truck,” according to a press release from the Shaker Heights Police Department.
McLendon was later identified as the suspect Tuesday night and arrested a short time later after reportedly turning himself in.
7-Eleven, Inc. provided the following statement to 3News in response to the shooting: “The safety of customers, Franchisees and store associates is of the utmost importance. We are gathering information and working closely with local law enforcement.”