Outpouring Of Grief Grows On Steps Of Business, Honoring Late Shop Owner
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The line to pay tribute to 81-year-old Marie Buck stretched two blocks. It was a gathering composed of feelings of love and overwhelming loss. She loved Christmas, but this holiday did not come around for her.
On Christmas Eve, Buck, the beloved owner of Marie's Groceries in South Philadelphia, was minding her store when an armed gunman barely stepped inside and according to police, fired multiple shots, striking her 11 times.
Suspect Charged In Fatal Shooting Of 81-Year-Old South Philly Store Owner
That man, according to investigators, is 31-year-old Maurice Green. They characterize him as a known criminal with a rap sheet littered with drug offenses. Police say Green was out for Buck's grandson, who allegedly stole a piece of jewelry, worth between $5,000 and $10,000.
"The grandson was supposed to be working that morning so, we think he went there with the intention of shooting and killing the grandson. He opened the door and saw the grandmother and made the choice that he was going to kill the grandmother," said Philadelphia Police Captain James Clark.
The store that Buck ran for nearly four decades read closed as an outpouring of grief grew on the front steps on Thursday night.
It was a place where neighborhood kids grew up working; where they would have lunched packed by Marie, if their own parents could not afford one to send them to school with.
One of the people there to honor her came in from Texas. Like many others, long time customer and friend Donna Varallo Fikes flew in to attend Buck's services. "My sister called me and I was on a plane on the 26th," she said.
