Police investigating shooting outside convenience store Monday afternoon
DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. (WXIA) -- A man who people in the community have called a "true friend" to those in need was recovering Monday evening after being shot in his store earlier in the day.
DeKalb County police said the man was shot at his store on Buford Highway early Monday afternoon with no explanation whatsoever.
Police said it happened at a Shell station on Buford Highway at Dresden. The victim was the gas station and convenience store's owner, Shirazali Kassam, who was shot once in the abdomen. Police said Kassam was approached near the store's ice bin outside the store, by a man who shot him without saying anything.
"If the guy didn't have any money and needed something, (my father) would have given it to him," said Kassam's son, Rahim Kassam.
Investigators said the elder Kassam has owned the store for 17 years.
"I just know him as a guy here to take care of folks," said DeKalb Police Sgt. Jim Sheppard. "It's just an unfortunate situation."
Shriazali Kassam is at Grady Memorial Hospital in Downtown Atlanta recovering from his wounds.
Police described the shooting suspect as a black man in his early 20s, wearing dark colored clothes and a red hat. They said the suspect had a silver handgun.
Investigators are examining images from the store's surveillance camera for any identifiable images that may help them locate the suspect.