Father says bullet nearly hit 3-year-old girl after violent robbery

Mike McKinney said it was never his plan to put his three children’s lives in jeopardy. When he heard someone yell for help from an O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Tyrone, his plan was to help them.

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Then when he saw someone suspicious run from the store, he thought it might have been a robbery and decided to get some video. But their cars got entangled. That’s when he saw the gun and told his children to get down. The man fired, and by some miracle, the bullet just missed his daughter.

“She actually listened,” he said. “She actually listened to me for once.”

It happened Monday. A robber entered the store and demanded cash. When an employee walked in on the scene, the robber fired. That employee crawled out the back door and yelled for help.

“I didn’t see the gun myself. I seen him reaching for it and I knew it had to be a gun. I yelled to them get down, get down, get down.”

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The surveillance video shows the rest of the story. Mike McKinney heard the employee yell for help and seen a man running for the parking lot. Thinking he could capture a license plate with his smartphone, he positioned his car. But in the excitement, he rammed the getaway car. The robber freed his car and raised his arm and fired the shot that almost killed Mike McKinney’s 3-year-old daughter. His 9-year-old and 11-year-old daughters were in the far back seats.

“I’m just thankful. I am thankful that I am not having to plan a funeral before Christmas,” he said.

This same robber hit another O’Reilly Auto Parts store in Douglas County. He may be involved in other armed robberies elsewhere.

Anyone with information should call the Tyrone Police Department.