DA: Suspect charged after shooting mother, daughter inside Philadelphia pizza shop
PHILADELPHIA - A mother and daughter are lucky to be alive after they were both shot during an attempted robbery of their family-run pizza shop on Wednesday night.
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office said 19-year-old Kaleb Bridges entered Mayfair Pizza just before 9 p.m. and concealed his identity with a face mask and hood. He allegedly pointed a .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun at the cashier and demanded she fill a bag with money from the register.
When Bridges tried to snatch the bag of money, investigators believe the cashier's finger got caught which caused Bridges to open fire. The 34-year-old cashier, who police say is the daughter of the pizza shop owners, was struck once in the shoulder.
Immediately after the shooting, authorities say the victim's father and other employees came out from behind the counter and attempted to subdue Bridges. The shooting victim's mother and co-owner of the shop also tried to help restrain Bridges, and she was shot in the abdomen, according to the DA's office.
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Bridges eventually dropped the handgun during the struggle and employees and customers managed to restrain him until officers from the Philadelphia Police Department responded. Bridges was taken into custody and a .22 caliber semi-automatic handgun was recovered from inside the shop.
Prosecutors say Bridges is ineligible to legally own a firearm due to his age. He has been charged with several crimes including attempted murder, two counts of aggravated assault, robbery and weapons charges.
The victims were rushed to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital where authorities say they were placed in stable condition.
The gunpoint robbery and shooting left employees and loved ones shaken. Chris Christian, a family friend, told FOX 29 that the shop owners are immigrants from Greece who have worked in America for more than 30 years and have "hearts of gold."
"Is this their reward? Is this what you get in America? Someone comes in here with a gun," Christian said.