Hoagie-shop workers help 67-year-old West Oak Lane man after shooting

UPDATE: 6ABC.com is reporting that 67-year-old James Carr has been indentified as the victim in this West Oak Lane Shooting. Witnesses said he was a well-liked Air Force veteran.

Joseph Carmichael is used to the sound of gunshots peppering the air. “It’s almost like a bus driving by,” he said.

Until Wednesday night, though, he had never come face-to-face with its aftermath. That changed shortly after 7 p.m. when a man walked into Lee’s Hoagie House in West Oak Lane visibly shot and bleeding from his arms.

 

“He said, ‘I’m shot. I can’t really breathe,'” Carmichael said on Thursday. “It was unreal.” 

Carmichael and his co-workers pulled a stool over for the man while they called 911.

“He was delirious a little bit. He was like, ‘I don’t know these people. Why did they shoot me?'” he said.

Police arrived at the small sandwich shop about 10 minutes later, according to Carmichael. The victim was rushed to Albert Einstein Medical Center where he is listed in stable condition.

According to police, the 67-year-old was talking to someone outside on the 1900 block of 74th Ave. when he noticed a man hiding in some nearby bushes.

The offender, who was joined by another man, then shot the victim multiple times. Officer Tanya Little said the West Oak Lane resident suffered gunshot wounds to the back, chest and both wrists before making his way around the corner to Lee’s on Cheltenham Avenue.

“I was thankful that we were able to help him out,” said Carmichael. “It happened so fast.”

No arrests have been reported and only vague suspect descriptions were available on Thursday.