City controller, man shot at Chester gas station

Two people, including the city controller, were shot Friday afternoon at a gas station in Chester, police said.

The double shooting occurred about 3 p.m. at the Sunoco station and A Plus market at Ninth and Kerlin Streets - the same station whose owner was killed during an attempted robbery in December.

Edith Blackwell, Chester's controller, was struck in the back, and a man was hit in the legs, Police Commissioner Joseph Bail Jr. said.

Both were in stable condition at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Blackwell was in good spirits and was expected to be released Saturday, said Summer Freeman, spokeswoman for Mayor John Linder.

The wounded man, Brennen Johnson, 25, suffered gunshot wounds to both legs and was taken to Crozer-Chester by private vehicle, a police spokeswoman said.

Jorge Rico Rosas, a clerk at the gas station, said he was working behind the glass-enclosed counter in the store when he heard the "boom, boom, boom" of gunfire. Seconds later, he said, about seven people, including Blackwell, ran in through the door and took refuge behind an ice cream freezer and soda machine near the front of the store.

"She was really scared," he said. Blackwell was able to walk but was crying, he said. Police and paramedics were on the scene in about 10 minutes and tended to the injured politician.

"They quickly took [Blackwell] to the hospital," said Rico Rosas, 43, who has worked at the station for 22 years. He said he did not see the shooting.

Bail said that Blackwell appeared to be an innocent bystander. He would not speculate on whether Johnson was the intended target.

Blackwell and Johnson were at the gas station separately, Bail said.

State Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland (D., Delaware), who represents Chester, said he was told by city officials that Blackwell was caught in crossfire and that the wounded man may have been involved.

The shooter was said to have fled in a light-colored automobile with no hubcaps, Bail said.

Mohammed Fareed, 56, of Bucks County, was fatally shot Dec. 9 during an attempted robbery of the gas station. Bail said no one had been arrested in that case.

Kirkland said that city officials would step up precautionary efforts to prevent any further violence related to the shooting.

"People have to understand: This will not be tolerated," Kirkland said.

Inquirer staff writer Dan Hardy contributed to this article.