West Philadelphia convenience store employee shot outside business, police say

An employee of a West Philadelphia convenience store was shot outside the business Monday night, Inspector D F Pace said. 

Pace said officers responded to reports of a person shot on the 4800 block of Spruce Street shortly after 7 p.m.

At the scene, officers found a 24-year-old man shot multiple times throughout his body, Pace said. He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was placed in serious but stable condition, according to Pace. 

Pace said the majority of the incident, if not all, was captured on surveillance video. 

Before the shooting, Pace said the alleged gunman, a man who appears to be in his 20s, was in the convenience store around 6:15 p.m. 

The suspect returned to the store roughly 40 minutes later and got involved in a heated discussion with a female employee at the store, Pace said. 

The man and another store employee tried to intervene and de-escalate the situation, but their efforts didn't work, Pace said. 

The suspect allegedly told the 24-year-old employee to walk outside the store, according to Pace. When he did, the suspect pulled out a gun and shot the man three times, Pace said. The victim was struck in his abdomen, upper thigh and back. Police recovered four spent shell casings from the scene. 

Pace said the shooting was captured on surveillance video. He said the suspect continued firing his weapon while running away from the scene. The suspect was wearing a black hat, a black long-sleeve shirt, light pants and black shoes, Pace said. 

The motive for the shooting remains unclear, according to Pace. 

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department.