A robber and an owner were both shot during a fight inside a Philadelphia corner store, according to investigators.
The ordeal began at 3:11 p.m. Monday when two armed robbers entered a store on the 1600 block of South 23rd Street. The store’s owner, 48-year-old Antonio Baez, confronted the two robbers. During the ensuing struggle, Baez and one of the suspects, a 27-year-old man, were both shot in the chest, police said.
Baez was taken to Presbyterian Hospital and is in critical condition. The robbery suspect who was shot walked into Methodist Hospital and was then transferred to Jefferson University Hospital, police said. He is also in critical condition.
Baez's family members told NBC10 it was the second time in the past few weeks in which someone targeted his store. During the last robbery, gunmen confronted young children who were inside.
"They pointed the gun at a 10-year-old kid that was in the store; his nephew," Maria Castillo, Baez's family friend, told NBC10. "And they manhandled his baby. His baby is like a year and a half. They shaked him and he was like, 'Let go of my child.' But they wouldn't let go. I think they retaliated and came back."
Police are still searching for a second suspect in Monday's incident. They have not yet released a detailed description. A weapon has not yet been recovered.
