Brooklyn smoke shop worker shot during robbery despite complying with suspect
BAY RIDGE, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A worker was shot during a robbery at a smoke shop in Brooklyn Thursday morning, even though authorities say he complied with the suspect's demands.
The 38-year-old employee was shot inside the store on Fifth Avenue in Bay Ridge just before 12:15 a.m.
Exclusive surveillance video showed the suspect entering the store. The gunman barged in, barking, "Give me the money! Give me the money!"
The worker handed over the cash, and the suspect opened fire anyway, blasting off two shots.
One struck the worker in the torso, while the other shattered the glass counter.
The surveillance video then showed the gunman running from the scene.
"He didnt have to shoot him at all, no reason why he shot him," owner Mohammad Suleiman said. "It's cold-hearted. If you've already got the money, why do you have to shoot the guy, my employee, for no reason?"
The worker was shot in the torso and taken to NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn. He remains in intensive care after undergoing surgery.
"He's OK," Suleiman said. "Hes going to make it."
An undetermined amount of cash was stolen during the robbery.
The injured worker is the Suleiman's cousin, and he has only worked there for two weeks. The store has been open less than a year, and the owner said he has always felt safe in Bay Ridge.
The suspect fled southbound on Fifth Avenue.
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