Armed Suspect Shot Dead By Store Owner In Attempted Robbery

Philadelphia police are investigating the shooting of a robbery suspect by a store owner in Tacony.

It happened just after 6 p.m. at Anna's Deli on the corner of Jackson and Princeton Streets.

Police say a 19-year-old man walked into the store near closing time with a semi-automatic handgun and demanded money from one of the owners behind the counter.

Her husband heard screams and came out of the back with his own gun.

"The suspect fires at least one shot at the store owner. The store owner returns fire. The suspect is shot once in the chest and pronounced dead on the scene" said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Neighbors who gathered near the scene say the longtime owners of the store who police have not identified are part of the fabric of the neighborhood.

"They are both great people. I've known them for 10 years now. I grew up in that store and it's really good that neither of them got hurt" said neighbor Kristin Zornek.

Darryl Parker, who lives nearby, was just about to go into the store for lottery tickets when police showed up. He and others who know the owners are happy they were uninjured.

"You get in that situation and you want to defend your wife. So regardless if it's your business or not you want to defend your wife" said Parker.

Initially police say the 55-year-old store owner was justified in the shooting but the District Attorney will make the final determination. The robbery attempt and shooting has left some here shaken.

"Anna (owner) was always afraid of this happening because the neighborhood was getting bad" said Mary Cotner.

"People are tired of the crime. People are tired of working so hard and having to deal with this at the end of the day" said Janice Nobel who lives across the street from the store.

 Homicide detectives say the whole incident was captured on video surveillance both inside and outside of the store. So far, police have not identified the robbery suspect.