The incident took place around 7:25 p.m. at the Super Chicken Grocery at Haines and Rodney streets.
The owner tried to fight off a masked, armed robber who ran into his corner store and demanded cash.
"He's a fighter, that's how he's always been, he didn't take anything from anybody, he was always that type of guy," the victim's nephew said.
The nephew says his uncle, identified as 39-year-old Luis Espinal, was shot in the right arm and chest before the gunman took off on Haines street.
"I know it's hard times, but you've got to earn your money honestly, you can't go around robbing people and thinking you're going to get away with it," the nephew said.
Police combed the area, inside and outside the store, looking for clues.
But their break may come from the surveillance cameras which captured the crime.
"Detectives are reviewing those surveillance cameras at this time, if anyone has information we encourage them to call 911, all calls are confidential," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
One customer inside the store and another outside witnessed the incident.
UPDATE:Espinal underwent surgery at Albert Einstein Medical Center. On Wednesday, he was upgraded to serious condition.
