7-Eleven offers $100,000 reward for information leading to arrest in string of deadly California robberies

The robberies all happened in the predawn hours of 7-Eleven when the company celebrates its anniversary

7-Eleven offered a $100,000 reward Wednesday for information leading to the arrest of a masked gunman that police believe is linked to a string of deadly robberies at the convenience store chain that happened early Monday morning in Southern California. 

A clerk, 40, and a 26-year-old man were killed at two separate locations, and three others were injured at two other locations. 

The robberies and shootings were in the cities of Ontario, Upland, Riverside, La Habra, Brea and Santa Ana –all near the Los Angeles area. 

7-11 shooting and robbery suspect

In this image from video from a 7-Eleven store in Upland, Calif., released by the Upland Police Department, is a person that police are attempting to identify in connection with two people who were killed and three who were wounded in shootings at fo (Upland Police Department via AP / AP Newsroom)

"We are currently working with the local police to spread the news in the community," 7-Eleven officials said of the reward in a statement. It said tipsters could anonymously contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS.

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The father of Matthew Hirsch, 40, who was working the overnight shift at a 7-Eleven in Brea, California, when he was killed just after 4 a.m. PT on Monday, said his son had recently gotten sober after dealing with drug addiction for years and had turned his life around with his new job.  

"He hadn’t had time to enjoy a normal life," Jim Hirsch said. "He goes through a struggle for goodness and it ends in a shooting."

Matthew Rule was shot and killed outside of a Santa Ana store allegedly by the same suspect. A witness told KCAL-TV Rule saved his life when the suspect tried to rob him. 

Police investigate 7-Eleven California robberies

Officials investigate after officers found two victims with gunshot wounds following a robbery at a 7-Eleven in the 300 block of E. Whittier Blvd. in La Habra, CA on Monday, July 11, 2022. (Paul Bersebach/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Ge (Getty)

"I turned around, and there he was," the witness, identified only as Richard, said. "He put the gun to my head and said, 'Give me your money.'" Richard said Rule approached the suspect, telling him to leave the witness alone. 

Richard said the suspect then turned to Rule and fatally shot him. 

A police vehicle is seen park in front of a 7-Eleven store after a deadly shooting

Police investigate a shooting at a 7-Eleven store in Brea, Calif., on Monday, July 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia / AP Newsroom)

"I can't sleep. All I hear is that boom and seeing him fall," he said. 

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The suspect robbed Rule and fled the scene, police said. 

At a Riverside store, a customer was gravely wounded after being shot in the head. 

"He has to keep fighting," Jason Harrell’s brother said of the 46-year-old, who he said was now breathing on his own. "Jason is a fighter and so we fully expect him to fight through this whole thing and win this battle."

A clerk and a customer were shot at a La Habra location and were released from the hospital. 

One victim, Russell Browning, a 60-year-old truck driver, lost many of his teeth when the gunman shot him in the mouth as he sat in his car, KNBC-TV reported. The bullet came out through his cheek.

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"The wrong place at the wrong time. That's all it can go down as," Browning told the station. He had gone to the convenience store for doughnuts and milk before starting his shift. 

In surveillance images, the suspect is seen wearing a mask, a hood, and a black sweatshirt with white lettering.  

7-Eleven California robberies and shootings suspect

In this image from video released by the Brea Police Department, a person is shown that police are attempting to identify in connection with two people who were killed and three who were wounded in shootings at multiple 7-Eleven locations in Southern (Brea Police Department via AP / AP Newsroom)

The first robbery was in Ontario. Less than an hour later, a store in Upland was robbed. An hour after that, a gunman shot and gravely wounded Harrell in Riverside while robbing a store. 

Rule was shot and killed outside a Santa Ana store around 3:20 a.m. Less than an hour later, Hirsch was shot and killed, and less than an hour after that, Browning and a clerk were injured at a store in La Habra. 

The robberies happened on July 11 - or 7-11 - when the company celebrates its anniversary.