A private protection agent is recovering following a shootout inside a Sunoco gas station. The shootout was sparked by an altercation between an SUV driver and the agent that had to do with the truck, investigators say. The SUV driver died during the shootout and police say the protection agent is currently not charged in the case. NBC10’s Rosemary Connors has the details.
A man is dead after a double shooting that also left a security guard injured on Tuesday evening in Philadelphia, according to police.
The shooting happened around 7 p.m. at the Sunoco gas station on the 900 block of West College Avenue across from the Girard College campus in Fairmount, police said.
A 30-year-old private protection agent was on duty at the time of the shooting, officials explained. He was struck one time in the left leg.
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Police said there was some type of altercation between the two men before the shooting.
Surveillance video of the shooting shows the altercation. In the video you can see the man walk into the store and the security guard tells him to leave and pushes him back.
That's when the man grabbed a gun from his waist band. That is when shots are exchanged between the two.
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"There was some kind of altercation between the security and the individual. It had to do with a truck that was parked by the entrance. I think that SUV had some kind of BBQ attachment to it," Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore, Philadelphia Police Department, said.
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The security guard, 30, was taken to a nearby hospital by police and is listed in stable condition, according to officials.
The man who died was 39 years old, police said. He was hit by gunfire multiple times in his face and legs. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead just before 7:30 p.m., officials said.
“I don’t know why he would put himself in that kind of situation with an armed security guard," said Thomas Bennett who works in the neighborhood.
Andre Boyer, who runs the private company Pennsylvania Site State Agents where the agent who was shot works, said he is expected to recover.
"He’s probably going to be there for at least another two or three days. I must say he’s a hero," Boyer said about the injured private security agent. "From the footage that I saw, he put his life on the line for the customers that were in the store and the employees."
Boyer's company works with gas stations and hotels to provide protection.
Bullet casings were found both inside and outside the store, Chief Police Inspector Scott Small said.
A bullet also went through a window at a home across the street and landed on a bed. No one inside the home was hurt, police said.
At this time officials are not sure who started the altercation.
Philadelphia police said the security footage is key to their ongoing investigation, which will include looking at the protocol surrounding the protection agent who is not charged in this case at this time.
"That’s something that the state licenses people to be security, armed security while they’re working as an Act 235 Agent. So, so long as they’re doing that, they’re allowed to do that. We’ll investigate to make sure all of the licenses were in order," Vanore said.
Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department are on the scene and say that they have recovered multiple weapons.
No arrests have been made yet, according to officials.
This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.
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