ADULT STORE CLERK SHOT, KILLED IN HEIST.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

SAUGUS - An adult gift store clerk was shot dead and two other men were injured during a bizarre New Year's Day robbery and shooting spree that ended when the gunman shot himself in the head while surrounded by sheriff's deputies, authorities said Sunday.

The gunman, identified as Robert Wheeler, 25, was in critical condition and not expected to live, said Sgt. Deborah Miller of the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station.

Wheeler called deputies early Sunday from a pay phone in Stevenson Ranch to confess to at least two of the shootings and shot himself shortly after they surrounded his van, authorities said.

According to deputies, Wheeler, whose hometown was not released, began a shooting spree Saturday evening at Santa Clarita Adult Gifts at 25835 San Fernando Road.

Authorities said store security videotape showed Wheeler, armed with a .22-caliber rifle, shooting Christopher Ray Simons, 24, of Saugus in the face; the suspect then took merchandise from the store and left about 7:40 p.m. Security tape showed Wheeler returning to the store 20 minutes later, according to deputies, and firing another shot into Simons' face.

Deputies responding to a 911 call found Simons dead behind the counter when they arrived about 8:30 p.m, Miller said.

Sheriff's deputies linked Wheeler to two other shootings involving a .22- caliber weapon Saturday night.

One of the victims drove to Los Angeles County Fire Station 111 on Seco Canyon Road and said he believed someone used a pellet gun to shoot him in the back. The man, who said he was going through a trash can near Haskell Canyon and Bouquet Canyon Road when he was shot, declined an ambulance ride and drove himself to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, where doctors removed a .22-caliber bullet from his back. He is in good condition, Miller said.

A short time later, another man reported that someone had broken into his Bouquet Canyon area home. The victim ran into the front yard to get the intruder's license plate number when a man with a rifle began chasing him around a parked vehicle. The gunman shot the man in the back as he tried to run back to his home. Doctors treating the victim at the hospital removed a .22-caliber bullet from his back, but he was listed in good condition.

Sheriff's deputies said Wheeler called them early Sunday morning from a pay phone on Pico Canyon Road near Taco Bell in Stevenson Ranch, saying he shot Simons and another man later. The desk deputy kept Wheeler on the phone while patrol cars were sent to the scene.

When they arrived, Wheeler dropped the phone and ran to a van, where he shot himself in the head, authorities said. He was taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, where his condition was described as ``death imminent.''

All the shootings took place within a five-mile radius of each other.

Employees of the adult gift store, which was open Sunday morning, refused to comment on the incident, saying only that they were open for business.

Most of the businesses at the shopping center were closed Saturday for New Year's Day.

``There's never been a problem here,'' said Melanie Teller, who owns the Down and Beyond skiwear outlet in the same center. ``This is a pretty quiet center.''

Jimmy Babcock, manager of Hot Rod Hobbies and Raceways, said that aside from a few shoplifting incidents, the center has not been the scene of any unusual activity.

Staff writer Alex Dobuzinskis contributed to this story.

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

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(color in SAC edition only) Santa Clarita Adult Gifts in Saugus was the site of a murder and robbery on New Year's Day. A 24-year-old store clerk died after being shot twice in the face during the robbery.

John Lazar/Staff Photographer