Shopkeeper Shoots

Faced with man wielding a chrome handgun, a 70-year-old corner store owner pulled out his own gun and fired two shots to send the robber running.

Here’s what happened, according to police spokesman Officer David Hartman:

At 8:18 p.m. on Tuesday, 11 cops responded to Eddie’s Market at 58 Sylvan Ave. in the Hill, on a report of an attempted robbery and a possible shooting.

The 70-year-old store owner and his 31-year-old son told them what happened. A man had walked in, pushed a customer down on the counter, and pulled out a handgun. He pointed the gun at the father — who was behind the counter — as he walked through the store. The father pulled out a gun of his own and shot twice at the intruder. The shots missed and the man fled the store.

The store owner and his son told cops they’ve been robbed several times before by armed men.

Officers Michael Lozada and Brian Diange, searching for the suspect, spotted a man matching the suspect’s description walking quickly through a parking lot on Ward Street. They hid behind some bushes as he got closer, then stopped him and ordered him to put raise his arms. The man began to comply, then reached for his backpack. Officers stopped him before he got to the chrome Bersa .38-caliber handgun he had inside.

The man, a 24-year-old convicted felon, was identified as the gunman from Eddie’s Market. He was arrested and charged with attempted robbery and four gun crimes.

According to Assistant Chief Archie Generoso, the man is a suspect in several past Hill neighborhood robberies. Generoso ​“credits the quick and efficient work of the Officers who responded with the apprehension of a man who could be responsible for many crimes still under investigation,” Hartman said.

For block-by-block year-to-date crime info, check the Independent’s crime map.