Man pleads not guilty in July convenience store shooting

A man accused of shooting a compliant convenience store clerk in the face during a robbery pleaded not guilty Thursday to the charges against him.

Deonte Marshall, 28, faces six felony charges, including attempted murder and robbery with use of a deadly weapon, related to a July 11 holdup captured on surveillance cameras at the Green Valley Grocery at 4011 N. Lamb Blvd., near Alexander Road.

Dressed in detention center blues, Marshall said his formal education ended in the ninth grade and he doesn't read very well but understood the charges against him. He then clumsily pleaded guilty to those charges, prompting a concerned look from his public defender, Nadine Morton. After speaking with her briefly, Marshall corrected his previous statement and pleaded not guilty.

The video footage from the store shows the clerk, Steve Inman, stocking a beer cooler when he is approached by a man with a gun. Inman then moves to the register and opens it. An unidentified woman wearing a bandana is seen gathering the cash. The man then shoots Inman at point-blank range before he and the woman leave the store.

The register had less than $100 inside, according to Las Vegas police.

Inman had taken the job as cashier to help pay for cancer treatment for his wife, who died Oct. 30.

He remains in a medically induced coma and prosecutor Lisa Luzaich said he may yet die.

If Inman dies, Marshall probably will face a murder charge, she said.

Marshall's public defender, Nadine Morton, declined to comment after the arraignment.

Marshall's trial tentatively is scheduled for February.