Convenience store worker shot while confronting shoplifter, Winnipeg police say

A north Winnipeg convenience store worker was shot while confronting an alleged shoplifter outside the store this week, police say.

Officers found the 21-year-old employee with "life-threatening injuries" when they arrived at the Logan Avenue store near Arlington Street around 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a Thursday news release.

The employee was taken to hospital in critical condition and has since been upgraded to stable, the release said.

Video surveillance showed someone walk into the store and leave with a drink they didn't pay for.

The employee followed the person outside and confronted them, which led to the alleged shoplifter shooting the worker with a sawed-off shotgun before running away, police said.

Later that evening, a 22-year-old Winnipeg man was arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

Police said they found the man at a home on Main Street near Dufferin Avenue around 6 p.m.

He was charged with attempted murder, armed robbery using a firearm and four other weapons offences and detained in custody, police said.