Northwest Harris County jewelry store shootout ends in 1 dead, 1 hospitalized

Police are investigating a daring daytime robbery where a jewelry store in northwest Harris County was targeted Tuesday afternoon.

RELATED: A North Houston robbery went wrong and resulted in a shooting

Gunfire erupted at 2:45 p.m. at the Your Jewelry store, where men armed with pistols raced into the business demanding money and jewelry.

But one employee was not going down without a fight:

“They began to beat him, pistol-whip him,” Lt. Thomas Gilliland, with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, said in a statement. “At one point during the struggle, (the employee) managed to retrieve a pistol that was inside the store. He exchanged gunfire with the robbers.”

The owner told investigators he believed he hit at least one of the three robbers before they left the store

One man was later discovered dead in a neighborhood near Coppergrove, west of the robbery scene. Another ended up in the hospital.

Nevertheless, police are backing the business owner:

“The shop owner has a right to defend himself and his property, ” Gilliland continued. “It’s fortunate that he wasn’t hurt badly. He had a laceration on his head due to the pistol-whipping.”

RELATED: Even though he was shot in an attempted robbery, a Houston store clerk is safely recovering thanks to his quick thinking and getaway

Investigators said a third suspect remains on the run.

If you have any information on the crime, contact your local police or Crime Stoppers at (713) 521-4600.