Previous Post
Next Post

“I heard ‘pow, pow, pow,’ ” (Robin Cook) said Friday, standing on her doorstep on Wyalusing Avenue in West Philadelphia, caution tape draped across the block just feet from her front door. “I thought, that ain’t no BB gun.” That’s what she told philly.com. And she was right, it was the sound of a shootout after an unidentified stick-up man tried to knock over the Wyalusing Food Market, “a popular spot for children stopping by on their way to school to buy drinks and snacks.” But as the cashier handed over $40 to the armed robber, the store’s owner, Fercido “Papi” Nunez, a former Dominican police officer, approached, armed with his own gun. He’d seen what was going down the the store’s security camera . . .

But the 31-year-old man saw store owner Fercido Nunez and fired two shots, police said. Nunez, 39, fired four shots back.

In the cross fire, a child no older than 10 opened the front door of the store, police said. A neighbor whisked the child to safety as the robber ran past with Nunez in pursuit.

On the corner, the robber, still holding his gun, turned to face Nunez, who fired twice, hitting him in the stomach and a leg, police said.

Try to contain your surprise when you read that the the hold up man — who the Philly PD haven’t named yet — is no stranger to the criminal justice system.

The robber, whom (Lt. John) Walker would not identify, is well-known to police. He has been charged with attempted murder, robbery, and aggravated assault, Walker said, and was in critical but stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Also try to contain your surprise that despite chasing the man who stole $40 out of the store into the street, Papi appears to be in the clear as far as the po-po are concerned.

…Walker of Southwest Detectives said Nunez had been cleared in the investigation and would face no charges. Nunez had a permit for his gun, Walker said.

Previous Post
Next Post

13 COMMENTS

  1. Pursuit isn’t a good idea, but it is at least legally justifiable to follow the perp in hopes of recovering your stolen money or property, which the robber is likely to abandon as he flees. The rules of engagement are fairly clear if he turns and shoots at you.

    On another topic, lower abdominal gunshot wounds are horrible: they don’t usually cause incapacitation or death as rapidly as upper center-mass hits, but they’re said to be exceptionally painful and even nonfatal hits often leave the victim (or in this case, the perp) with lifelong disabilities.

    This perp will probably have his colostomy bag hanging off the back of his chair at trial. I hope it doesn’t make the jury feel sorry for him, because he’s lucky not to be dead.

    • Well, I still think it’d be better if the crim was dead, particularly since it’ll likely being the state picking up the tab for his chronic treatment.

      But still, extreme pain and a lifetime of suffering isn’t too shabby either.

  2. I don’t understand the mindset of these guys who try to knock over the local markets. The liqour stores and mini marts frequently have armed people who own and work in them.

    If you have to rob some one, rob a bank. Those people are trained not to fight back and you can rob them with a note. You don’t have to shoot anybody and there’s less chance that you’ll get shot. Makes sense, don’t it?

    • Yes and no.

      When a perp robs a local market or liquor store, the perp has the local PD or sheriff’s department on his tail.

      When a perp goes after a bank, he has the FBI on his tail.

      • Provided the bank is FDIC insured. Granted, most are. But it’s not a rule.

        Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take a nap. Nit picking always makes me sleepy. 😆

  3. Wait a minute!! There was a sign on the door that said “no weapons allowed”. Why of all the nerve! Guy walks in with a gun completely ignoring the sign. My, my, what’s this world coming to when the bad guys won’t obey clear instructions from a sign prominently posted at the entrance. Maybe the poor fellow can’t read.

  4. If the perp had just kept runing, he might have gotten away, but he had to …

    “On the corner, the robber, still holding his gun, turned to face Nunez, who fired twice, …”

    When he did that, then it became ‘reasonable’ for Nunez to fear for his life, and to fire his own weapon. The perp gave Nunez every reason he needed to shoot him.

  5. I hope that the robber had a big meal of greasy food just before he got gutshot. Then he would truly have had his just desserts.

    BTW, Mr. Nunez apparently fired six shots, striking the goblin twice. Which makes the former Dominican cop twice as accurate as present-day NYC cops. Kudos. Or should I say elogios?

  6. The ending is a bit of a misnomer, the cops know that you don’t need a permit to own a gun, but you do need a license to carry, so the cops meant to say he has a LTCF, which Philly “lovingly” calls a permit

    • Philly is open carry, he was no longer concealing it.
      PA enforces the same rules as the other counties on Philly.

  7. Kudos to the neighbor for diving in and getting that kid clear of the kill zone. Fits my definition of a real hero to a T.

Comments are closed.