Employee critical after he is shot inside North Philadelphia deli, police say

Suspect sought after North Philly deli employee shot

Philadelphia police are investigating a shooting inside a North Philadelphia deli that left an employee in critical condition.

NORTH PHILADELPHIA - A 34-year-old man is fighting for his life after someone shot him inside a store in North Philadelphia.

The shooting happened inside a deli on the 2600 block of West Lehigh Avenue Wednesday night, just after 7:30, officials said.

The man was working behind the counter when someone opened fire, shooting him multiple times across his body, Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

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Responding officers rushed him to Temple University Hospital where he was placed in critical condition.

Police say an active investigation is underway, though no weapons have been recovered and no arrests have been made. Inspector Small said the incident did not appear to be a robbery, but police are investigating possible motives.

"You can clearly see the shooter walk into the store. He stands in line behind at least one other customer and then reaches into his waistband, pulls a gun and reaches into the cashier booth and fires. We know at least five shots because we found five spent shell casings," Inspector Small explained.

Police say the shooter's face was not covered and they're confident they can identify him. Store employees say the shooter comes to the store on an almost daily basis.

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