Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Iglulik (Sep 09/02) - An armed robbery at the Co-op Convenience Store last week has left a young clerk terrified and afraid to sleep in her own home.

According to store manager Isaac Gullage, the clerk was working alone and getting ready to shut down at about 9:15 p.m. on Sept. 1. She had just finished cleaning the store and was counting the cash when she heard a knock at the front door.

"She figured it was her boyfriend that had come to pick her up, but when she opened the door she was confronted with a rifle in her face," said Gullage.

The robber instructed the clerk to go into the washroom, but she resisted. The suspect pushed her, she shoved back and ran out of the store to a nearby home, where she called police.

The masked gunman escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash.

Const. Rod Rudiak of the Iglulik RCMP detachment said the clerk described the man as approximately five feet tall with a slim build, dressed in an oversized thin black jacket and black windpants.

Rudiak said the RCMP would like to speak with two men seen near the store who may have seen the robbery.

Meanwhile, the clerk has refused to work at the convenience store again and refuses to sleep in her own home. Gullage has transferred her to the main Co-op store.

"She was very upset because she didn't expect anything like this to happen. She's a bit rattled and traumatized by the whole thing," said Gullage.

He is shocked that an armed robbery actually took place in his own store. "It really puts a scary feeling right over the community," he said.

Gullage said he is planning a meeting for Co-op board members and employees to prepare them for any future violent incidents that may occur. In the meantime, the Co-op is offering a $500 reward for information the leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.