A 7-Eleven clerk was shot on the crowded 16th Street Mall today in broad daylight.

Denver police Lt. Ron Saunier said the clerk was in critical condition at Denver Health Medical Center. A suspect in the shooting was caught at 19th and Arapahoe streets. His name was not immediately available.

Saunier said he believed the man was on foot.

"The clerk was not behind the counter," Saunier said at the crime scene, which was filled with gapers. "He came out from behind the counter and confronted the suspect."

Saunier said it was too early to know whether robbery was the motive.