By SCOTT GOLDSTEIN | The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS, TEXAS – Behind the cash register at Don’s Food store, a heavy-set 60-year-old convicted felon named James minded the shop on a recent afternoon, his mere presence capturing what slain shopkeeper Alemu “Alex” Abebe, an immigrant from Ethiopia, represented to this long-neglected neighborhood in Old East Dallas.

James served time for cheating and stealing. He sipped Thunderbird wine and smoked dope while living on the streets.

Yet Abebe and his brother, Daniel Takele, thought enough of the man to give him food, money, work and trust when no one else would.

“You see, I love these guys, I really do,” said James, who asked that his last name be withheld. “To have gotten the chance I got with all the marks against me ….”

It’s been more than four years since Abebe was fatally shot during a robbery at the store, and the case remains unsolved. With some help from James and others, Takele continues to run the store and, along with Abebe’s widow and two teenage sons, still yearns for justice. The family’s $10,000 reward for information in the case still stands.

“One of the things that made me stay here is I might … be able to help in the closure of the case,” said Takele, who emigrated from Ethiopia with his brother. “Because we’ve been in the neighborhood and we know different people, I was hoping some day, someone would say something if they know something or heard anything.”

So far, that critical tip has not come for Dallas police homicide Detective Mark Ahearn.

Shots heard on phone

Ahearn believes the events that led to Abebe’s killing happened quickly and involved three men.

About 11:15 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 17, 2004, two of the men walked into the store at 825 S. Carroll Ave., while one remained outside as a lookout. When the only customer in the store at the time left, the robbery began.

A store employee mopping in the back kitchen felt a gun in his back and heard someone say, “Don’t move” repeatedly, before being forced to the floor.

Confronted by the other robber, Abebe probably tried to defend himself, Ahearn said. Investigators found the shopkeeper behind the front counter wearing an empty gun holster.

“Once [Abebe] made a decision that he’s going to defend himself, that’s when the suspect” panicked, he said. “There’s a lot of gunfire.”

Abebe was on the phone with his wife, who heard the gunshots. She has said she heard no argument beforehand.

The two robbers from inside the store were seen running away afterward by witnesses who could provide only vague descriptions: The shooter was a black man in his 20s, about 5 feet 5 inches tall, medium weight, medium complexion, with short hair and a small black gun. The one in the back of the store was described as a tall black man in his 20s, stocky and dark-skinned with a medium Afro hairstyle.

Community members turned out to express their affection for the friendly store owner they knew as Alex in the days and weeks after his death, adorning the store with cards, flowers and handwritten messages.

For Ahearn, who still hopes to find someone with key information about the killing, this case has taken a personal toll.

“Every person that’s murdered in Dallas is a victim,” said the 24-year veteran detective. “But this guy was truly an innocent victim doing his job at his business that he’s owned for 18 years.”

“This is a good man who has a family, who’s got two children who are growing up without a dad. It’s incredibly frustrating.”

Brothers fled Ethiopia

Abebe and his brother overcame long odds before becoming American business owners in 1987.

They were born in Ethiopia and joined the Ethiopian Peoples Revolutionary Party, a group critical of the government. The men fled and ultimately ended up in the U.S. in the early 1980s after successfully seeking political asylum.

The brothers generally worked opposite shifts so that they could each maximize their time with their families during their off-hours. Still, they remained close.

“It’s very difficult,” Takele said. “You really don’t know how close you are until people are no longer there.”

As Takele took time to gather himself before returning to the store after his brother’s death, James helped get things in order.

He cleaned Abebe’s blood from the floor and did various chores in the store. He also eventually installed a thick Plexiglas fortress that now surrounds the cashier area, which faces a monitor displaying security camera images.

He helped then and he continues to help now, he says, because of what Abebe and Takele have done for him.

“No matter how much determination you have, you need a helping hand,” he said. “That’s what this store represents, a helping hand.”

REWARD

A $10,000 reward has been offered by Alemu Abebe’s family for information in this case. Call Detective Mark Ahearn at 214-671-3682 or e-mail homicide@dpd. dallascityhall.com.

Watch Video: click here