Police said two 19-year-old men were shot in the parking lot of Express Gas & Food Mart around 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Springfield Police Detective James McCoy photographs blood stains in the parking lot of Express Gas & Food Mart at 1107 State Street. The store was the site of a possible double shooting reported shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday.SPRINGFIELD -- Two teenage city residents were shot shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of Express Gas & Food Mart, a convenience store at 1107 State St.
The victims, both 19, were not identified by Springfield police, who continued to hunt for the shooter after dark Tuesday.
One teen was shot in the abdomen, the other in the leg. Both were being treated at Baystate Medical Center Tuesday evening.
Police were unable to immediately provide a motive for the shooting, or a description of the gunman.
The victim with the abdominal wound was still undergoing emergency surgery around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"He's in serious but stable condition," Lt. John M. Bobianski said.
The shooting was reported at 4:55 p.m., just as the evening rush hour was getting underway, by an employee of Express Gas & Food Mart. The State Street store is located between Cortland and Dresden streets.
A man who answered the phone at the convenience store shortly after the shooting confirmed that he reported the incident to the authorities.
"I saw two men rolling on the floor" in the parking lot, said the man, who claimed to be the store's manager but withheld his name.
He said the store remained open after the shooting, even though police had cordoned off part of the parking lot with yellow crime-scene tape.
Investigators could be seen collecting evidence in the parking lot, where a gray, four-door sedan was parked near a row of gas pumps. The sedan's heavily dented driver-side door was open, and there was blood on the ground near the car.
Bobianski said witnesses reported hearing three to five gunshots, and shell casings were recovered on the ground near the shooting site.
Detective James McCoy took digital photographs of the blood-stained pavement, while other investigators interviewed witnesses and scoured the neighborhood for the gunman.
Police were unable to confirm earlier reports that the assailant was last seen running south on Dresden Street toward Wilbraham Road.
"I have no suspect information at this time," Bobianski said.