FORT LAUDERDALE -- A liquor store became a crime scene Tuesday night after a clerk shot a teen who police said tried to steal a woman's purse.

According to police, Barbara Winters, 70, was opening her car door outside a Fort Lauderdale liquor store when Steven Wendal, 15, snatched her purse and took off.

The Story In Pictures: Alleged Victim: 'He Deserves To Be Shot At'

That's when the store clerk, Kingsly Brown, shot Wendal, police said.

"I really was in shock. I commended him for using that kind of resolve to protect a customer," Winters said. "He deserves to be shot at. He is a kid. He is a stupid kid. Kids do stupid things. He deserves to be shot at."

Wounded, Wendal raced a mile and a half through neighborhoods, knocking on doors for help. His trail of blood stopped on Kathleen Rouse's porch.

"I didn't know what to think. I was shocked and he wanted me to take him to the hospital and I said, 'No, I will call 911.' And he said, 'It's going to take too long for them to get here,'" Rouse said.

The 911 call led police to arrest Wendal.

Although Wendal was not armed when Brown shot him, police said the clerk might not be charged.

"We don't have a final say on that but we don't anticipate charges," Veda Coleman-Wright, of the Broward Sheriff's Office, said.

Winters said she is fine, until she tells her son what happens.

"My son is going to kill me. What the guy didn't do last night, my son is going to do big time today," Winters said.

Winters said she will not go to liquor stores at 8 p.m. any more. But, she said she is not stressed out and is just a little tired from her ordeal, which lasted until 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Wendal, who was shot in the shoulder, recovered enough from his wound to appear in juvenile court Wednesday, where he was taken into custody on strong-arm robbery charges.