Store owner shot, critically wounded in Germantown

A 46-year-old man was critically injured Wednesday night when he was shot multiple times at point blank range as he sat in front of a store he owns in Germantown.

Police responded to Pop's Dollar Plus Store on Germantown Avenue near Clapier Street at 11:29 p.m. and found a 46-year-old man inside the store suffering from bullet wounds to both arms, both legs and his torso, said Chief Inspector Scott Small.

The man was bleeding profusely when police arrived, and it was unclear exactly how many times the man was wounded early Thursday morning.

Police took the unidentified victim to the Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he was listed in extremely critical condition. Small said the victim lives in an apartment above the store and was in surgery around 12:30 a.m. while police scoured the scene for evidence.

The shooter approached the victim while he was sitting in one of two metal chairs on the sidewalk outside the store and shot at least nine times at point blank range, Small said. The shell casings were found on the sidewalk inches from where the man was sitting.

Police followed a blood trail from the sidewalk and found puddles of the man's blood inside his store. Cops did not find ballistic evidence inside the store and police were unsure of the shooter's motive.

The suspect is described as a bearded, stocky man who is about 5 feet 10 inches tall, had on all dark clothing and fled the scene in a red minivan. Authorities were unsure of the suspect's race and said the minivan was last seen fleeing eastbound on Clapier Street from Germantown Avenue.

A witness was taken to the Northwest Detective Division for questioning, and police found a surveillance camera that may have recorded the shooting. Police will likely contact the owner of the camera Thursday to try finding footage of the incident, Small said.