A woman pulled out a gun and tried to shoot a security guard while the man she was with shot a manager in the face following a dispute over a can of gravy inside a Philadelphia store, police said.
The ordeal began on February 19 shortly before 6:30 p.m. inside a Save A Lot store on 6301 Chew Avenue.
Investigators said a man and a woman began arguing with a store manager because the business did not have a can of gravy that they wanted. As the argument continued, the manager asked for help from the store’s security guard.
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The woman then allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at the guard. Police said the guard disarmed the woman and disabled the weapon. The guard and manager then tried to escort both the man and woman outside the store and a struggle ensued, police said.
The man then pulled out his own weapon and pointed it at the security guard, police said. The guard and manager were then able to force the man and woman out of the store, according to investigators.
Police said the man then demanded that the security guard give the woman’s gun back to her. The guard then gave the woman back her weapon which he had disabled, according to investigators.
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The man and woman then went back into the store and the man pulled out a 9mm semiautomatic handgun, aimed at the manager and opened fire, police said. The manager was shot at point blank range in the face and the man and woman fled on foot towards the Awbury Park Apartments across the street, investigators said.
The store manager was taken to the hospital where he remains in critical condition.
Police released surveillance video and photos of both suspects.
During a Wednesday afternoon press conference, Philadelphia Police Captain James Kearney said both suspects are known to the community and have frequented the store before.
“We believe they’re from that neighborhood and we’re asking for that community to reach out to us, give us a name, and we will take it from there,” Kearney said. “We just need a small piece of the puzzle to give this family some justice and hold these two accountable. We’re talking about two guns that are on the street. We’re talking about people who instantly decided to come back into that store and fire a round at this man just doing his job.”
If you have any information on either suspect, please call the Philadelphia Police Shooting Investigation Group at 215-686-8271. If you recognize the suspects, do not approach them. Instead, call 911 immediately.
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