Woman shot in Wells Fargo bank parking lot in Philadelphia, police say
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A woman was shot in the leg in the parking lot of a Wells Fargo bank in Philadelphia's Rhawnhurst neighborhood Monday morning, according to police.
Police say the shooting happened shortly before 9 a.m. in the parking lot of the bank in the 7300 block of Bustleton Avenue.
A routine trip to the bank turned into anything but for Gladys Sylvein on Monday morning.
"I saw the shooting on TV, how people are losing their lives," Sylvein said. "But this morning, I witnessed my friend and myself, we could lose our lives."
Sylvein says she met her friend at the Wells Fargo on Bustleton Avenue just before it opened. Then, her friend argued with a man and woman over parking.
"There was people in the car next to her that said some words to her about how close she came to their car, indicated she might've even struck their car," Capt. James Kearney said.
Sylvein says the alleged argument escalated quickly, and the man pulled out a gun while she was standing next to her friend.
"A gun pointing like this to you, and then go down and you see the bullet go through her leg," Sylvein said. "And then, bleeding."
Chopper 3 was over the scene, showing police tape and officers investigating the shooting.
Investigators say the man and woman then took off and witnesses and a nearby mall security guard rushed in to help the injured 61-year-old woman.
Police say things could have been much worse given that the victim's two grandchildren were in the car when the shooting took place.
"You start thinking about kids in the area getting on buses, getting to school," Kearney said. "This is a tragedy."
The woman was taken to a nearby hospital and placed in stable condition. Sylvein says she's in good spirits.
While no one has been arrested at this time, police believe they have a lot to work off of to find the alleged shooter. Still, investigators were shocked by what happened.
"It's disturbing to think that over a simple parking a little too close, or even if she had struck her, that that elevates someone pulling a gun out and firing," Kearney said.
