A man was shot and killed inside a Midtown 7-Eleven store in broad daylight on Thursday morning, setting off a major police search for the gun-toting suspect.
Police said the shooting unfolded inside the convenience store at the corner of 8th Avenue and West 39th Street, just blocks from the Port Authority Bus Terminal, at about 10:25 a.m. on Feb. 12.
Sources familiar with the case said two men were arguing inside the business when a man brandished a gun and opened fire. The victim suffered a gunshot wound to his neck.
A male eyewitness told amNewYork that as soon as they entered the store, he heard the pair exchange expletives, then saw the shooting unfold.
“When I opened the door. I stepped in, I was inside for two seconds. I looked down. I heard an argument happening. I heard: p***y, p***y, p***y, and then the shooting. I just turned a run and all the other people came after me,” said the eyewitness, who asked to remain anonymous.
Officers from the Midtown South Precinct responded to the shooting along with EMS units, who pronounced the victim dead at the scene. Police have yet to identify the victim.
Meanwhile, detectives sealed off the immediate area around the 7-Eleven and were seen searching for evidence at the scene. So far, no arrests have been made in the case.
According to sources, the victim is believed to be a panhandler known to local residents and workers for holding the door to the 7/11 open and begging for change. He reportedly asked the gunman for money, which resulted in an altercation inside the store.
One local worker, Thomas Lane, a concierge, said the area’s quality of life had suffered in recent years before appearing to trend upward.
“I’m not surprised at all, because I’ve seen all kinds of stuff,” Lane said, adding that while things have improved in the area over the last several years, it previously was plagued by drug use and homelessness. “I would come into work in the morning, and I’d find that people had defecated all over the front door here. They would just pee on the door, in broad daylight,” Lane said.
He also added that he did not see the shooting itself but witnessed the immediate aftermath.
“I heard the sirens, and I looked out the door, and I saw a bunch of police activity here, and then I didn’t know what it was.”
The victim’s belongings could still be seen strewn outside the door he often tended.
This is a developing story; check with amNY.com for further updates.
