INDIANAPOLIS — Two men are in jail after being arrested for a weekend robbery and shooting that wounded an employee inside a dollar store on Indy’s near east side.

An armed thief shot a cashier in the leg Sunday night at a Family Dollar on East 10th Street after the employee said he couldn’t open the register.

Court records claim police were quickly able to arrest two suspects because they had the pair under surveillance. Investigators said the suspects may have been involved in multiple other recent robberies.

In the shooting on Sunday, police believe 20-year-old convicted felon Jeremy Helms committed the crime using a stolen gun.

“People who aren’t allowed to possess guns don’t go to a gun store to make a purchase,” IMPD Lt. Shane Foley said. “They get them in other illegal ways.”

Court records claim the gun used in the shooting was stolen during a car break-in back in February.

“It happens too often that guns are taken from homes or cars,” Foley said. “And if gun owners are responsible and keep them in a secure place, that’s less likely to occur.”

Lt. Foley said stolen guns being used to commit acts of violence is a common problem and urged gun owners to always store their weapons responsibly.

“What we’re asking people to do is if they have firearms, put them someplace safe,” he said. “If it’s in a vehicle, put it in a locked trunk so it’s not just on the floorboard or under the seat.”

Foley also said he asks people to make sure they keep a copy of the serial number on their guns, so they can be returned to the owner if they are stolen.

Following the shooting at Family Dollar, police followed two suspects who drove away from the scene.

Officers quickly arrested 20-year-old Jaylen McKinney, who allegedly admitted he served as a getaway driver for Helms in multiple robberies, including one as recent as last week at a Popeye’s on West 16th Street.

McKinney told police Helms told him he shot the victim because he failed to cooperate and claims Helms told him: “I just had to shoot him. He played.”

Police claim Helms told police he didn’t mean to shoot the Family Dollar employee but rather claims the gun accidentally went off after he pointed it at the victim.

Court records also show Helms had an active warrant for his arrest at the time of the shooting. He previously pleaded guilty to a 2020 robbery at an AutoZone and was put on probation for that case, but allegedly removed his GPS monitor.