Murphy's Place robbed
By Gary Popp
Published in News on April 12, 2012 1:46 PM
Goldsboro police are investigating the report of an armed robbery of a downtown bar and restaurant that took place in the early hours of Sunday morning.
An unidentified man wearing a blue bandanna and hoodie was in Murphy's Place, located at 100 N. Center St., between 2 and 2:30 a.m., and stole $1,516 after assaulting Zjhonae King, a 28-year-old female employee.
Ms. King was in an office counting money retrieved from the bar's cash register when the suspect entered the room.
The suspect pointed a silver semi-automatic handgun at her and told her "to put the money in the bag and hurry," according to the report
After handing over the money, she reported being hit in the head with the gun, shoved under a desk and told to stay there by the gunman.
Ms. King waited for the suspect to leave and contacted police.
Murphy's Place General Manager John Rae said there were four other employees, two bouncers and two bartenders, in the business when the incident occurred, but Ms. King was the only person to see the suspect.
Rae also said it remains unclear how the suspect entered the building, as the doors lock automatically after closing.
No signs of forced entry into the business have been found, Rae said.
He added that it has not been determined if the suspect was in the building earlier in the morning, before the incident occurred.
Ms. King was not transported to a hospital for her injuries, police said.
Rae said Murphy's Place will implement additional security measures following the robbery.