YNOT – Police are seeking suspects in an early Tuesday incident that left a condom store in an upscale Dallas suburb riddled with bullets.
Condom Sense opened in mid-January in a down-on-its luck strip mall on the outskirts of Plano, Texas. At the time, city fathers hoped the retail establishment — which offers lingerie, scented oils and adult novelties in addition to condoms — not only would revitalize the shopping center, but also contribute to the city’s tax revenues.
Nearby homeowners and religious leaders did not share city fathers’ enthusiasm, according to store owner Mike Edwards. He said the store has been picketed, and he has received threatening emails.
Edwards believes some of the malcontents may be behind Tuesday’s violence, in which as many as eight bullets penetrated all the way to the back of the store, shattering windows and destroying merchandise.
Fortunately, Condom Sense was closed at the time, so no employees or customers were injured. Edwards worries the store may not be so lucky the next time someone decides to send a message.
“We never thought about how much some people have a lot of hate,” he told local CBS affiliate Channel 11 News. “They want to do something about [the store], and this is what they are doing about it.”
Plano police are examining video from surveillance cameras on the property, hoping to develop leads to the perpetrators.
