Good Samaritan shot trying to stop robbery at Upper West Side smoke shop
NEW YORK -- A good Samaritan is home recovering from a gunshot wound after police say he tried to intervene during a robbery on the Upper West Side on Monday morning.
It happened on Broadway near 72nd Street. CBS2's Lisa Rozner spoke with his family in Midwood.
He was struggling to walk, but was alive and out of the hospital hours after being shot in the foot at around 4:30 a.m.
"My brother really can't move right now," the victim's brother said.
The brother of the 29-year-old customer of the Lincoln Convenience Smoke Shop told Rozner he works at the McDonald's nearby.
"I'm pretty sure he was leaving work and his friend owns the smoke shop, so he just went over there to check on him," the brother said.
Police said the victim was inside the shop as a customer when four men stormed in and announced a robbery. When the victim tried to intervene, he was shot. The NYPD said the suspects fled with cash and an undisclosed amount of CBD oils.
One woman who knows the victim said, "That's a best person. Everybody know him."
It's unclear if they are the same suspects who targeted the store on Friday at around 6:30 a.m.
In that incident, police said three men walked in, one with a gun, and announced a robbery. The NYPD said they took a wallet with a driver's license and credit cards from a worker and filled black trash bags with unspecified cash and property.
No one was injured.
The suspects in Friday's robbery are believed to be three males in their late teens to early 20s.
"It tells you where the city is heading right now. It's like you gotta mind your business," said Roger Reyes, who works nearby.
Police sources said as cannabis products become more prevalent across the city, cops are seeing an increase in robberies targeting these types of stores.
Just last week, the NYPD released surveillance video from a similar situation, where they say three men stole $3,000 from a Lower East Side store and $2,400 worth of CBD products.
No arrests have been made in either robbery.
The family of the victim in Monday's incident said he'll be out of work for at least a week.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.
