Shooting outside Glendale smoke shop was in self-defense, store owner says

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Glendale detectives are investigating after a man was shot multiple times outside a smoke shop late Thursday night.

The shooting was reported on April 6 at 11:45 p.m. at a strip mall near 65th Avenue and Glendale.

The owner of Smoke Casa, Ouday Muslet, says his store was just about to close when an armed man came inside and wrestled his employee to the ground.

The employee, who also had a gun in his waistband, shot the man in the leg. Muslet said the man responded by pointing a gun at the clerk's head.

"He had no time to do anything, he was literally attacked at the front door," Muslet said.

The unknown man reportedly managed to take the employee's gun and ran outside, pointing both weapons at him.

Muslet then claimed that the clerk grabbed another gun they had on hand at the store and shot the man outside.

"Do you wait to see what he's gonna do? Not necessarily, we're talking about life or death here," Muslet said.

The man who was shot was hospitalized in life-threatening condition.

Muslet says his employee was detained that night, and he was frustrated by it because he was acting in self-defense.

"My employee is okay, hopefully that guy will be OK, but we had somebody come and threaten someone's life, and we defended ourselves," Muslet said. "[He] took whatever precautions he needed to make sure he walked away that night."

Police have yet to release updates on this shooting investigation.

Location of the smoke shop: