American convenience store clerk who was shot and killed by two armed robbers on 27 March 1993 in Mesquite, Texas. Shrum cooperated with the robbers’ demands and made no attempt to fight back against them. Despite his cooperation, the robbers murdered him. The crime was recorded by two security cameras in the store. Footage of the murder was shown on television to help identify the killers. Since then, the footage has been featured in many documentaries relating to crime, making it well known. The murder was described as a rare death penalty case, and was the first of only two death penalty cases expected to be tried in Dallas County in 1993. Both suspects were spared the death penalty but were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder.
At around 11:20 p.m. Shrum attended to a woman called Peggy Wells, a regular customer at the store, who was buying gas for her car. Wells had forgotten her purse, and didn’t have enough money to pay. She returned to her car to get her other purse, so she could pay for the gas. During this time, the store was empty, apart from Shrum. Another customer, 22-year-old Wayne Hampton, then entered the store and engaged in conversation with Shrum. Outside by the front door of the store, Wayne’s accomplice and younger uncle, 18-year-old Anthony Bernard Hampton, nicknamed Elmo, waited with a handgun. While Wayne was in conversation with Shrum, Anthony entered the store and snuck up to the side of Shrum. He drew his handgun and ordered Shrum to hand over any money in the cash register. Shrum cooperated and opened the register, which contained eighteen dollars. Anthony then fired three shots at point-blank range. Shrum was hit and fell to the floor. Wayne and Anthony took the money from the cash register, along with a dispenser full of lottery tickets, and fled the store. Wells returned as the robbers exited the store. She was shot at by Anthony and received a bullet to the shoulder but survived the injury. Shrum didn’t die immediately, but succumbed to his injuries.
Shrum was a former sergeant of the U.S. army who served in Korea during the Korean War. Following the war, he worked in the insurance business for most of his career. In his later years he worked as a clerk at a Diamond Shamrock gas station in Mesquite, Texas. On 28 April 1950, he married his wife, Mary Ann Keown, in Decatur, Texas, at the age of eighteen. Shrum was survived by his wife and three children.
Link to Murder of Pete Shrum