Worker recovering after being shot inside Queens restaurant
ASTORIA, Queens (WABC) -- An investigation is underway after a gunman walked into a restaurant in Astoria, Queens, and shot a worker at close range in the middle of the day.
A man in a red shirt and a black ski mask walked into the Boishakhi Restaurant on 29-14 36th Avenue just after 3:30 p.m. Saturday, pulled out a gun and opened fire.
The bullet pierced the glass, sending terrified customers bolting out the door. One woman grabbed a small child by the hand and hustled to safety.
The suspect then ran behind the counter and started shooting at the clerk again. He was struck in the thigh.
A man and a woman shielded a young child on both sides -- escaping down a flight of stairs.
Police rushed to the scene as the victim was taken away in an ambulance.
The restaurant was wrapped in crime scene tape as detectives began their investigation. One worker is trying to cope with the shock.
"My body is shaking," he said.
He says he was inside, working in the back of the store when shots were fired.
"I hear the sounds, but didn't know if it was a shot or something," he added.
The restaurant is teeming with law enforcement as police search for the suspect.
Police say this was not a robbery, and that the suspect and victim knew each other. The victim was the intended target.
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