Worker putting away shopping carts shot during argument outside Philly supermarket

A worker putting away carts at the end of the day at a supermarket wound up being shot amid an escalating argument, Philadelphia police said.

The shooting took place after 11 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, 2024, in the parking lot of the ShopRite at Olney Avenue and Front Street in the Olney neighborhood, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

Officers arrived to find the 23-year-old worker inside the store bleeding from two gunshot wounds to his abdomen, Small said. The man was rushed to a nearby hospital where the man underwent surgery in critical condition.

“We’re getting information that the 23-year-old was shot outside — right outside of the front doors in the parking lot,” Small said.

The store employee was organizing shopping carts in the parking lot when he got into “some sort of confrontation” with a 30-year-old customer who had just left the grocery store,” Small said.

The 30-year-old then shot twice at the worker, Small said. That customer — who appeared to have a valid license to carry a gun — stayed on the scene after the shooting and was “cooperating with police.”

Detectives spoke to the suspected shooter and looked over ShopRite surveillance video in an attempt to piece together what happened.