A liquor store clerk who was quick on his feet prevented three masked and armed robbers from holding up the Delaware establishment during his shift Tuesday night, MyFoxPhilly.com reported.
The unidentified 55-year-old employee of Flavors Liquor Store in Wilmington shot and killed one suspect, and may have hit the others who fled, according to police.
Authorities are searching local hospitals for anyone coming in with a possible bullet wound.
The fatal shot caused one suspect to drop his .22-caliber gun and stumble 40 feet from the store before dying, according to MyFoxPhilly.com.
Flavors' owner, who was identified only by his first name, Ed, said the robbers fired first at a protective glass counter in front of the clerk and the cash register. A wall of merchandise likely prevented the gunmen from noticing the clerk getting his weapon.
"Everyone knows we're armed in here. I mean, it's common knowledge," Ed told MyFoxPhilly.com. "I've had liquor stores before, and I've had some confrontations, so they know me."
The clerk was not hurt during the incident, nor were the two women, another clerk and a relative who were in the back of the store.
The shop's surveillance system was not working at the time of the attempted hold-up, but police are looking into what a security camera 25 feet from Flavors' door may have recorded, MyFoxPhilly.com reported.
The same store has been robbed twice in the two-and-a-half years since it opened. The owner said he has had to use a gun before at another location.
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