Prince George's County Police are hoping surveillance footage from an Oxon Hill hotel will help them find the person who fatally shot a hotel employee during a robbery Monday night.
Yvonne Fenner checked into the Clarion Hotel at 6400 Oxon Hill Road after having some car problems. She told NBC4's Megan McGrath she was on the phone with the woman at the front desk at around 10 p.m. when the woman started screaming.
"She was just hollering. It was petrifying, it really was," Fenner said.
Fenner then hung up and called 911.
"I told them, 'Hurry up, because someone is screaming,'" she continued
According to police, that commotion was a robbery in progress. The suspect entered the lobby, jumped over the counter and demanded money from the front desk clerk. The woman complied, and the suspect got away with $300.
Restaurant manager Jesse Alexis Chavez, 27, of Fort Washington, went over to help, police said during a news conference Tuesday.
News4's Darcy Spencer spoke with two men who tried to stop Chavez from confronting the suspect.
"If somebody's trying to rob the place, let them rob ... we had seen the gun come up too," one of the men said.
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The struggle between Chavez and the gunman continued out the hotel's front door, where the suspect opened fire. The shooter then ran to a dark-colored sedan and fled the scene.
When officers arrived, they found Chavez suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
"He was a kind, gentle person and he was looking out for a co-worker who screamed for help," Chavez's friend Carla McClinton said.
Chavez's younger sister Vivian told News4's Tracee Wilkins that her brother died the way he lived, thinking of others.
Investigators believe a second suspect could be involved.
If you recognize the person in the surveillance footage below, call police at 301-772-4925. Those who wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-8477.
