A store owner was killed while an employee and two customers were injured after gunshots rang out inside a Camden corner store Monday night.
The shooting happened around 8:30 inside Bernard Grocery on the 1200 block of N 27th Street in the Cramer Hill section of the city, according to Camden Police.
Two masked men carrying guns -- believed to be an AK-47 military-style assault rifle and a shotgun -- entered the store, demanded money and almost immediately opened fire, county prosecutors said.
The store's owner, Deogones Miguel Almonte, was behind the counter when he was shot and killed, officials said.
The three other men -- described as friends of Almonte were in the aisles of the store when they were shot. They were taken to Cooper Hospital.
Two of the men who were shot, a 46-year-old and a 42-year-old, remained in critical but stable condition at the hospital Tuesday, officials said.
A 42-year-old suffered a graze wound. He was treated and released, prosecutors said.
The masked men grabbed cash from the store and left, officials said.
One of the victim's was able to call 9-1-1.
Neighbors knew Almonte as "Miguel." They say he owned the store for nearly a decade and left behind five children.
"Nice person, good with clients, the customers, easy-going. If you don’t have that dollar, he had it,” one neighbor told NBC Philadelphia's Katy Zachry.
There was no official word on possible suspects. Anyone with information should contact Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Investigator John Hunsinger at (856) 225-8400 or Camden Police Det. Bill Frampton at (856) 757-7420.
In response to this shooting and a slew of other recent shootings, home invasions and robberies, Council President Frank Moran was pushing for an emergency declaration that would allow the National Guard to step in to help the resource-strapped police force.
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