MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) — Gunfire inside a 7-Eleven store near TImes Square in Midtown left a man dead and rattled tourists and others in the neighborhood on Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
The shooting happened near West 39th and Eighth Avenue just before 10:30 a.m.<\/p>\n
Witnesses say it was over in seconds after two men burst through the door of the convenience store in a heated argument.<\/p>\n
In an instant, one of the men pulled out a gun and shot the other man in the neck. The gunman escaped out onto Eighth Avenue as the victim lay bleeding to death on the floor.<\/p>\n
The victim’s body was removed by the medical examiner within the hour after NYPD detectives spent much of the day viewing and downloading surveillance video from the store and adjacent businesses determined to identify the suspect.<\/p>\n
Other officers searched the victim’s belongings, on the street outside the store.<\/p>\n
According to nearby residents and police sources, the victim was a familiar presence at the store, panhandling for tips by holding the door for customers.<\/p>\n
A friend, who asked not to be identified, told Eyewitness News that the man was homeless and originally from the Bronx.<\/p>\n
The store is steps away from Port Authority Bus Terminal and blocks from the theater district.<\/p>\n
The shooting left tourists unnerved and local shopkeepers frustrated and frightened.<\/p>\n
“I’m sorry to say, but it’s just a lot of people that need help, like a lot of, you know, homeless people, a lot of people with a lot of, you know, mental issues, a lot of drug issues, like, honestly, Times Square, it’s pretty filthy. It’s really bad,” said one woman who works nearby.<\/p>\n
The victim, believed to be in his 40s, has not yet been identified.<\/p>\n
The suspect ran away but police have recovered good images of him from the store’s surveillance.<\/p>\n
Police are looking for a man wearing a green puffer coat and dark pants.<\/p>\n
———-<\/p>\n
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered<\/a> <\/p>\n * More Manhattan news<\/a><\/p>\n * Send us a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n * Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts<\/a> <\/p>\n * Follow us on YouTube<\/a> <\/p>\n
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News<\/p>\n