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Police Looking for Gunman Who Grazed 74-year-old Woman in Harlem Supermaket

By  Gwynne Hogan and Trevor Kapp | March 17, 2015 8:53am | Updated on March 18, 2015 7:29pm

  Two people, including a 74-year-old female bystander, were shot Monday evening in front of a   Key Food   supermarket, police said.
Harlem Key Food Shooting
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CENTRAL HARLEM — A 74-year-old female bystander and a 51-year-old man were wounded after a gunman opened fire in front of a packed Key Food supermarket Monday evening, police said.

It was the second shooting in two days at the intersection of 140th Street and Malcolm X Boulevard, police said.

The gunman fired on the market about 6:30 p.m. as shoppers filled the grocery store after work, authorities said.

Detectives were looking for 19-year-old Malcolm Smith, who they believe was targeting the older man after the two got into an argument on the street.

"They exchanged words about 'Why are you looking at me,' that kind of thing," 32nd Precinct Captain Peter Andrea said.

When the older man pulled a knife, Smith pulled a gun and squeezed off four rounds, wounding the 51-year-old man and the elderly woman.

Stray bullets ricocheted off a nearby MTA bus, officials said.

Police and witness accounts vary as to how exactly the 74-year-old woman winded up in the crossfire.

The NYPD said the victim was hit outside the store, but Leonidas Cabrera, 25, the Key Food manager on duty at the time of the shooting, said the woman was clipped just inside the entrance.

"She was sitting. She was shaken, but she was able to talk. She was bleeding from her cheek. She said, 'Is it bad?' I said, 'No, everything is okay,'" Cabrera said. "I picked up some tissue and put some pressure on the wound. It's crazy. Nobody wanted to help her. It was a lot of people. It was rush hour for the store."

"I was just trying to keep everyone calm. I was just trying to help," he added.

The wounded pair were taken to Harlem Hospital and both are in stable condition, police said.

On Wednesday, police released a photo of Smith, 19, a suspect in the shooting. Police described Smith as 5-foot 7-inches, weighing around 160 pounds. The 32nd Precinct captain said that he had seven prior arrests for weapons possession, assault and other minor crimes.

After the shooting, police chased Smith on foot into an apartment building where they lost him, Andrea said. They recovered his weapon, the captain said.

A friend and neighbor said the victim received around 10 stitches to her cheek but was walking and talking Tuesday.

"She's a strong old lady," said Darian Brown, 49, who knew the victim for 16 years. "She's doing well. She's up and talking. She's walking. The bullet grazed her."

Brown said she was out with the victim and was ready to call it a night, but the victim wanted to run to the store to get some bread.

"She stopped and she was having a conversation with somebody, another neighbor, when the shots rang out," Brown said. "She heard three shots. She was trying to run, but she's got a cane."

Neighbors and police said an unrelated shooting occurred near the same intersection on Sunday afternoon just before 4 p.m. In that incident, a 54-year-old man was shot once in the left leg, police said.

Neighbors said the 74-year-old victim is a retired mental health nurse who lives by herself.

"They took her out on a stretcher. Her arms were across her chest, but she was conscious," said Joanna Fernandez, 35, an employee at the nearby Keane Pharmacy. "She was moving a little bit."

"I just saw people running. It was panic. It was very scary," she said.

Another employee at the pharmacy, Vamsi Kris, 25, said she was a friendly person who gave them gifts.

"She's a very nice lady," he said. "Before Christmas Day, she comes and gives us gifts. She's very friendly. You never think something like this will happen."

Another man who works in the building where the victim lived said the victim is a courteous resident. 

"She never walks by without saying 'hi.' She's a very nice lady," said Calvin Lowe, 55.

"Nobody should have to go through this just going to the store. What is this world coming to?"

Both Sunday and Monday's shooting are under investigation. Police did not have information on the shooter in Sunday's incident, but said that Monday's gunman remains at large.

Some who work in the vicinity of the two shootings were shaken by the gunfire. 

"It's like a battlefield," said Venus Fernandez, 48, a server at the Don Rico Pollo Restaurant next to where shooting took place. "I'm nervous just working here. Bullets don't have eyes. Anybody could get hurt."

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-TIPS.