Store owner robbed, slain in SW Philly

The Perlata Grocery appeared to be open for business last night, with its front door yawning open and a red-and-yellow sign glowing above.

But the usual Elmwood neighborhood customers were replaced by crime-scene investigators and a murder scene. Domingo Rodriguez, 53, the store owner, was gunned down during a robbery shortly before 7 p.m., said Homicide Sgt. Tim Cooney.

Rodriguez was standing behind a Plexiglas-enclosed counter when the gunman entered, Cooney said. He opened the door to the secure area, shot Rodriguez in the chest, then stole about $2,000 from his pocket, Cooney said.

Investigators said the killer darted out of the store, at 66th Street and Guyer Avenue. Rodriguez died at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania at 7:42 p.m., Cooney said.

Rodriguez's wife, who was in the store at the time of the shooting, was unharmed. The store, which Rodriguez recently opened, had no working security cameras, Cooney said.

"I can't believe they killed this man," said Nicole Smith, a nearby resident. "What's going on in this neighborhood?"