Two shot, injured during robbery on city's south side



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee police are searching for two suspects who opened fire at the Lincoln Supermarket store during an armed robbery Monday night, February 18th. Two men were hit by the gunfire and injured.

Police are utilizing two surveillance videos in their investigation of this incident.

The incident occurred just after 8:00 p.m. Monday, when two men approached the Lincoln Supermarket near 15th and Lincoln. One minute later, they sprinted from the scene with cash -- leaving behind two victims, including the store's owner Loai Atari.

"When the police showed up, I went inside with the police seeing that the owner had a gunshot wound to the hand and the other worker had a gunshot wound to the head and to the chest," a witness told FOX6 News.

The witness, who wished to remain anonymous, walked up to the store just moments after the shooting.

"Blood everywhere, money everywhere, money all outside. It was just crazy," the witness said.

Juan Sierra owns the business next door to Lincoln Supermarket. He's known Atari for 14 years. Between him and the Atari family, FOX6 News has learned when the suspects entered the store, Atari and an employee gave them the money they demanded, yet the suspects still fired a shotgun at them.

Sierra was next door when it happened.

Tuesday, while police continued searching for the individuals responsible for this shooting, the Lincoln Supermarket reopened to customers, with Atari's family staffing the store. They say he wouldn't want to let the community down.

"Loai's helped a lot of people here. He's good person, nice person," Sierra said.

Atari's family says he will have surgery on his hand Wednesday -- after which they hope he might be released.