Cops: Robbers to survive gunshot wounds, no charges for clerk

Last week's bizarre liquor store robberies won't result in charges for the clerk who shot two would-be robbers, police said Friday. 

And it appears the two robbers will survive their injuries. One has already been released from the hospital and taken to jail.

Click below for our updated story on the case.




Here is our story: 

Cops: Robbers to survive gunshot wounds, no charges for clerk

By Brandon Johansson

AURORA | Two robbers who were shot last week when they tried to rob their second liquor store in a span of a few minutes are expected to survive their injuries, police said Friday. 

A liquor store clerk shot Marcel McMichael, 34, and Henry James, 37, on Sept. 22 when the pair — their faces covered and one of them brandishing a gun — stormed a liquor store near East Mississippi Avenue and South Tower Road, said Aurora police spokeswoman Detective Shannon Lucy. 

McMichael was shot in the arm and released from the hospital to county jail Thursday, police said. James remained hospitalized Friday but police said he is expected to survive. When he is released from the hospital, he will be taken to jail. 

The liquor store clerk who shot at the men is not going to face charges, Lucy said.

After the botched robbery, police found one of the suspects, who suffered multiple gunshot wounds, on foot near the liquor store. 

About 45 minutes later, officers found the second man a short distance away in the 14200 block of East Montana Circle.

Both were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The two suspects matched the descriptions of the suspects who attempted to rob another liquor store near East Iliff Avenue and South Tower Road about six minutes before police officers responded to the second incident.

The two men entered the liquor store about 10:25 p.m. One was armed with a handgun, and both of their faces were partially covered with cloth to mask their identities, according to a police report.

A liquor store clerk saw the men enter the business and produced a handgun he had hidden behind the counter. The suspects fled the store, and the armed suspect fired one round inside the business and one outside the business as he left.

Between the two robberies, two hit-and-run accidents occurred along the Interstate 225 corridor at East Alameda Avenue and East Mississippi Avenue. Evidence recovered by officers at the accident scenes was tied to the man who suffered a gunshot wound on East Montana Circle, and to the second attempted robbery.

McMichael and Henry both have lengthy arrest records in Colorado dating back to the early 1990s, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records. 

McMichael, who goes by the nicknames “Celly Cell” and “Smurf,” has been arrested on charges including vehicle theft, domestic violence and assault, according to CBI. He served time in prison in 1995 on an assault charge. 

Henry, who goes by the nickname “Junebug,” has been arrested on charges including cocaine possession, assault and forgery. He has served prison time on drug and escape charges. 

Police declined to release pictures of McMichael or Henry on Friday because detectives continued to investigate the pair’s involvement in other crimes.