Salinas liquor store robber faces life in prison for attempted murder

UPDATE: 11/7/2018 1:25 p.m. A Salinas man is facing life in prison for premeditated attempted murder with a gun, robbery at gunpoint and shooting at an inhabited place causing injury among other charges.

27-year-old Mark Morris was convicted Monday.

It started when he robbed a Quality Market on Williams Road in January of last year.

The owner followed him out and Morris shot at him but the owner had a gun and fired back.

One of Morris’ bullets went through a trailer and hit a man in the shoulder.

DNA, cell phone records and his car at the scene linked him to the robbery.

Morris’ hearing is scheduled for next month.

PREVIOUS STORY:

Salinas police officers said a 25-year-old man is behind bars in connection to an armed robbery and attempted murder that took place on Jan. 3, 2017 at the Quality Liquors store in the 200 block of Williams Road.

Officers said they responded to the armed robbery at about 7:30 p.m.

According to officers the suspect now identified as Mark Philip Morris was wearing a blue-colored bandana over his face and entered the store with a handgun and demanded money.

The clerk complied and gave Morris an unknown amount of money, officers said.

According to officers Morris left the business as the clerk followed. Morris then fired his gun at the clerk and left westbound on East Market Street.

Officers said as the clerk followed Morris fired at the clerk again. The clerk feared for his safety and fired several rounds from his gun at Morris, said officers.

Morris was last seen running northbound on Kenneth Avenue. According to investigators Morris did not make it to his getaway car and officers found the car the night of the robbery and shooting and towed the car away as evidence.

Detectives then got a search warrant for the car which led investigators to Morris arrest.

According to officers one of the shots that Morris fired hit the exterior wall of a mobile home and hit a 31-year-old man who was watching television. The victim was hit in the left shoulder and taken to a hospital where he recovered from his injuries.

Investigators arrested Mark Philip Morris, a Salinas resident, on Thursday for the robbery and shooting.