A man was fatally shot inside a Midtown Manhattan 7-Eleven Thursday morning after an argument escalated into gunfire, police said.
The shooting occurred around 10:25 a.m. at the convenience store located at 8th Avenue and West 39th Street, blocks from the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Two men were arguing inside the store when one pulled out a gun and opened fire, striking the victim in the neck, sources familiar with the case told amNY. Officers and EMS responded to the scene, where the victim was pronounced dead, police said.
A witness who entered the store moments before the shooting told amNY he heard the men exchanging expletives before gunfire erupted.
When I opened the door and stepped in, I was inside for two seconds. I looked down and heard an argument happening. I heard “p—y,” “p—y,” “p—y,” and then the shooting. I just turned and ran, and all the other people came after me,” said the witness, who requested his name not be published.
Detectives sealed off the area around the 7-Eleven and searched for evidence. No arrests have been made.
Police have yet to identify the victim, though sources told amNY he is believed to be a panhandler known to local residents and workers for holding doors open in the area.
Thomas Lane, a concierge who works nearby, told amNY that the neighborhood’s quality of life has declined in recent years.
“I’m not surprised at all, because I’ve seen all kinds of stuff. I would come into work in the morning, and I’d find, like, people defecate all over the front door here. They would just pee on the door, like in broad daylight,” Lane said.