A grandma who worked as a manager at a Cracker Barrel is being hailed as a hero after she was fatally shot in the chest trying to protect a co-worker from a mugger, according to reports.
Robin Baucom, 59, who worked at a Cracker Barrel near Houston, Texas, for 34 years, was inside the eatery early Saturday when two men in a Dodge Charger pulled up near the front door, the Star-Telegram reported.
Another employee was trying to get inside when one of the men got out of the car and tried to steal her purse, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
When Baucom saw the attempted robbery, she rushed to unlock the door to allow the worker to get inside and pushed the man, who tried to force his way in.
During the struggle, the man shot Baucom in the chest. She underwent surgery at a local hospital but later died, according to the newspaper, which cited Harris County Constable Mark Herman.
“Our condolences go out to her family. Sad to think these victims were simply starting their day, working,” Gonzalez said.
Baucom’s family wants her to be remembered as a hero who lost her life while trying to protect her co-worker.
“She would have done anything in the world to protect her employees or any of us,” her daughter Tina told KTRK.
“When I was starting kindergarten, she started at Cracker Barrel part-time. She would buy me back-to-school clothes,” Tina said. “It was supposed to be a couple of months. Thirty-four years later, a heartache, and here we are.”
Baucom’s sister Gail said, “She is our hero, and we hope she will be remembered as a hero because she lost her life trying to protect her employees and Cracker Barrel,” KPRC reported.
Cracker Barrel said in a statement that the company “is solely focused on supporting our manager’s family, her fellow employees, and local law enforcement as we grapple with this tragedy and grieve.”
Billy Crumpton, Baucom’s brother, said, “The greatest love a person can have is giving their life for another person — and that’s exactly what she did,” Fox 26 Houston reported.
“She was a protector. Not only with her family but with the ones she worked with. She protected the workers and gave her life for them,” Crumpton added.
Baucom left behind her husband, three children and three grandchildren.
Angelia Richmond, a longtime regular at the Cracker Barrel, told KTRK that “it didn’t matter who you were, she made sure you were taken care of.”
She added: “She stood out. Not only that, she remembered your name.”
Gonzalez released surveillance images of the possible suspect, who was seen wearing a black hoodie, black pants and black shoes.
The two men fled in the 2018 or newer model metallic gray Charger.