LAWRENCE — Police are trying to figure out why a man entered the Wireless Choice store at 67 Jackson St., smashed two display cases with a handgun, and left without stealing anything or hurting anyone.
"It is evident that it was not a robbery," police Chief John Romero said yesterday. "We have some real questions about what happened."
The incident, which occurred about 10:30 a.m. Monday, was captured on two store surveillance video cameras.
When the gunman arrived, there was a man standing at the counter talking to a female store worker behind the counter. The gunman made gestures with his arms before smashing one of the display cases, and while walking out he smashed a second case.
"He doesn't appear to be concerned that anyone would call police," Romero said.
Romero said it appeared from the video that during the conversation between the gunman and the woman behind the counter, "whatever they were talking about they both knew about."
Clearly we have a crime here and we need to get to the bottom of it," Romero said.
Police responded to a 911 call and were told by the female clerk that a tall man entered the store, and in a very animated way began asking for the owner.
She said she told the man she didn't know where the owner was and he did not believe her and pulled up his shirt and drew a pistol from the waistband of his trousers, waved it around, and pointed it at her.
She told police she pulled back fearing she was going to be shot.
The man then told them to tell the owner that he, "Rafaelo," was there and then smashed the glass countertop with the butt of the pistol. On the way out he smashed a second glass countertop.
The gunman got into a small, gray sport utility vehicle that witnesses said also was occupied by a woman, and drove away.
A man in the store at the time told police the gunman said, "Tell them that Rafaelo was here to kill him."
The owner of the store, identified as Kelmyn Mejia, arrived while police were there and told them he knew who Rafaelo was, but only knew him by that nickname.
Mejia told police he was aware of a problem between his cousin and Rafaelo that occurred earlier Monday morning at a local restaurant. He told police he sold Rafaelo a cell phone four or five months ago, but did not have any records of the transaction.
"We have some pretty good leads on this guy," Romero said. "It's kind of puzzling. Obviously, it was not a robbery attempt."
