An employee at a ShopRite in Philadelphia’s Olney neighborhood was hospitalized after a customer shot him multiple times Monday evening, police said.
The victim, a 23-year-old man, was organizing shopping carts at the ShopRite supermarket at Olney Avenue and Front Street when the customer, a 30-year-old man, came out of the store and started an argument with the employee. said Chief Inspector Scott Small at the scene.
The older man then pulled out a gun and shot the worker twice in the abdomen. The worker ran into the store while the gunman remained at the scene. Police recovered his gun, which he legally owned and was licensed to carry.
The worker was taken to Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital, listed in critical condition and operated on.
Police said the suspected shooter is in custody and two 9mm spent shell casings were found at the scene.
Surveillance cameras inside the store and in the parking lot captured the incident, which happened just a few feet from the store’s entrance, Small said.
It was not clear what sparked the argument between the two.
The police Shooting Investigation Group is investigating.
