A gunman shot a 25-year-old bodega worker during an attempted robbery at a Lower East Side convenience store early Thursday, police said.
The bodega clerk suffered a graze wound to the buttocks during the shooting at Wholesome Organic Convenience on Rivington St. near Clinton St. about 1:22 a.m., cops said.
Medics rushed the worker to Bellevue Hospital, where he’s expected to survive.
The injured deli worker told ABC News that the gunman asked for a bag of chips on credit, only to pull a gun on store employees when they weren’t looking.
“He waited for the right opportunity until we were distracted, came behind the counter, started pointing the gun,” said the worker, who gave his name as ACE. “And then I guess he didn’t get what he wanted, so he just shot.”
In response to the shooting, advocates with the United Bodegas of America gathered outside the store Thursday to offer a $5,000 reward for the gunman’s capture.
They’re also demanding the NYPD employ more aggressive police tactics, including bringing back stop-and-frisk, which involves temporarily detaining suspects and patting them down for contraband, at city convenience stores.
“We need to let police do their jobs, aggressively remove illegal guns from our streets, and seriously consider bringing back constitutional stop-and-frisk before another innocent worker is shot,” said Federation spokesman Fernando Mateo.
The NYPD drastically changed its stop-and-frisk rules following federal Judge Shira Scheindlin’s bombshell August 2013 court ruling that the practice violated the rights of minorities. Despite the reforms, the NYPD’s federal monitor has repeatedly said that even when officers conduct a legally justified stop, the subsequent frisk or more invasive search is too often not justified.
As part of its ongoing efforts to safeguard bodegas, the UBA managed a $1.2 million city-funded pilot program to install panic buttons in 500 delis across the city.
The GPS-equipped system provided by Centigix allows endangered deli workers to call for help without uttering a word, according to the pilot program’s project manager.
“As soon as that button is activated, you don’t have to say or prompt anything,” said Germaine Zayas. “It’s designed so as soon as the button’s activated, they can immediately hear what’s going on in the background.”
The installations at the 500 delis were completed in April, but the city has not committed any additional funds towards equipping the thousands of bodegas that remain unprotected, Mateo said.
“We have approximately 500 bodegas with panic buttons, but that’s a drop in the bucket when you have 25 to 40,000 of these convenience stores and bodegas out there, ” said Mateo.
“When someone is in trouble, you see that repeatedly they run into a bodega,” said Mateo. “And what does a bodega owner have to help other than a panic button?”
The Lower East Side convenience store where the shooting occurred was equipped with a panic button, ABC reported.
Anyone with information about Thursday’s shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.