Garden Ridge police hope video will help them catch store clerk’s killer one year after crime

Police offering $5,000 reward for information leading to arrest or conviction of suspect

SAN ANTONIO – One year after a store clerk was shot and killed during a convenience store robbery, Garden Ridge police have released additional video of the crime hoping someone will come forward with information.

Pollyanna Smotherman, 40, of Cibolo, was killed in the early morning hours of July 29, 2020, after a man walked into the store with a gun and demanded money and lottery tickets.

The crime happened at about 3 a.m. at the EZ Mart in the 19500 block of FM 3009.

Surveillance video shows the man looking around before entering the store with a handgun in one hand and a bag in the other. The man tells Smotherman repeatedly to “hurry up” as he demands that she open the cash register, give him money and all of the lottery tickets in the store.

Smotherman died at the scene. Her family described her as a loving person who enjoyed working at the store.

The suspect is described as a male in his 20s-30s. He was wearing a black shirt, dark pants and a red bandana over his face at the time of the crime, police said. He was also carrying a tote bag.

The Comal County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest or conviction of the suspect.

Anyone with information can call the Garden Ridge Police Department at 210-651-6441 or Comal County Crime Stoppers at 830-620-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be left online at http://comalcrimestoppers.org/ or via the “P3 Tips” smartphone app available on iOS and Android devices.

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About the Authors:

Rebecca Salinas is an award-winning digital journalist who joined KSAT in 2019. She reports on a variety of topics for KSAT 12 News.

Julie Moreno has worked in local television news for more than 25 years. She came to KSAT as a news producer in 2000. After producing thousands of newscasts, she transitioned to the digital team in 2015. She writes on a wide variety of topics from breaking news to trending stories and manages KSAT’s daily digital content strategy.