2 men shot to death: 1 by police, 1 by merchant

Two allegedly violent men were killed Wednesday night in Philadelphia - one by a store owner and the other by police officers aiding a woman who had been shot.

At 6:19 p.m., officers responded to a report of a shooting at a corner variety store at Hutchinson and Somerset Streets in Fairhill and found a man with several gunshot wounds in his upper torso, said Chief Inspector Scott Small.

The unidentified man, described as in his late 20s or early 30s, was taken by medics to Temple University Hospital and was pronounced dead at 7:55 p.m.

Small said people in the store heard the man demand money from the 69-year-old store owner, who was at the cash register.

The man then allegedly kicked in a security door that protected the owner and cash register, Small said. The owner had a revolver and opened fire. No one else was hurt.

At 7:39 p.m., officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 3400 block of Braddock Street in Harrowgate and found a 36-year-old woman "lying on the sidewalk, bleeding," Small said.

As they were trying to help the woman, a 22-year-old man appeared in a doorway "within feet" of the officers and pointed a gun at them, Small said.

"It was a pretty scary situation," he said.

The officers ordered the man to drop the gun, which he failed to do, Small said. Three officers fired, and the man was hit once in the chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The woman, who was the man's aunt, was taken to Temple and reported in stable condition. Why she was shot was not immediately clear, Small said.