Man suffers graze wound in shooting at Wawa in Torresdale

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police say an argument inside a Philadelphia Wawa led to one man being shot by the doorway.

It happened around 4:15 a.m. Friday at the store along the 9100 block of Frankford Avenue near Academy Road in the city's Torresdale section.

According to employees, the 34-year-old victim got into a verbal altercation with another male inside the Wawa.

The two went to the back doors to exit the store when at least two shots were fired.

The shots were fired from just outside as a man believed to be the shooter held one of the outside doors open.

Police believe the victim was in the vestibule area between two sets of doors when the shooter opened fire.

The 34-year-old suffered a graze wound to his abdomen.

He was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital in stable condition.

Customers arrived to find the store closed, stunned to see the remains of the crime scene at their regular stop.

"People don't care no more," remarked customer Robert Perfidio. "The fact that Philly is getting this bad this close to my house where I grew up, where I go to school, family- I got little kids."

Police say a bullet went through the glass and ended up lodged in a wooden trash can on the other side of the store by the front doors.

Police say several employees and customers were in the store at the time but were not injured.

Just last month, Wawa announced two Center City locations would be permanently closing for safety concerns.

Nine other Wawas in Northeast Philadelphia and Bucks County were shutting down overnight after several armed robberies.

"Maybe more security guards, like standing where the doors are coming in and out, that could be some help right there," said customer Christine Miller.

Police say the victim had a handgun on him, with a permit to carry, but they believe he did not use it.

Detectives are looking through surveillance video to see if they can identify the suspect.

Action News reached out to Wawa for comment.

A spokesperson released a statement saying in part, "We are very grateful to local law enforcement for their swift response."