Zayid Muthana's father said that his son had surgery to remove the bullet Wednesday morning and into the afternoon.
On Tuesday, police released surveillance video of the two men who entered the M&M Grocery on Nostrand Avenue just after 6 p.m. while Muthana was working behind the counter.
Police say the 18-year-old noticed one of the suspects was trying to steal something and tried to stop him.
That's when the man pulled out a gun and shots were fired. Muthana fell to the ground and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The 18-year-old was out of surgery by Wednesday evening and is recovering.
But his family, who immigrated from Yemen is devastated.
They say the teen has big dreams to go into real estate and had been helping at his father's business on the weekends when he's not in school.
"He was always working hard, trying to bring food to the table," his father Fahd Muthana said. "I want justice for him, he was a good kid, everybody in the community loves him."
The latest shooting is causing great concern for local merchants who say there has been a string of shootings and stabbings at local bodegas.
A crowd gathered in front of the deli to pray for Zayid on Wednesday.
They are now demanding better police response and more security -- but their immediate focus is the well-being of Muthana.
The search continues for the two suspects. Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
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