A man was shot in the stomach upon exiting a convenience store in West Philly after playing, what officials called a “gambling machine” for “some time” overnight. According to Philadelphia Police Capt. Timothy Stephan the incident happened at about 1:57 a.m. on Tuesday, shortly after a 26 -year-old man exited a convenience store along the 6100 block of Vine Street where he had spent “some time” using, what Stephan called a gambling machine. Once he exited the store, Stephan said, the man was approached by a gunman — described as a man who wore a white t-shirt and brightly colored shoes — who exited a burgundy minivan and walked up to the victim. At that time, he said, the victim pulled a firearm and words were exchanged between the two before the suspected shooter also produced a handgun and fired two shots, striking the victim in the stomach. First responders to the scene following the shooting took the victim to a nearby hospital where, Stephan said, he was listed in extremely critical condition. At the scene, he said, investigators recovered a blue mountain bike and a handgun that belonged to the victim, along with two spent shell casings and two live rounds. There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here. He said that investigators were unsure if the victim had tried to fire his weapon or if he was still loading the gun when the shooting occurred. The victim, Stephan said, also did not have a permit to possess a firearm and was known to officers due to, what he called “prior contacts” with the police. No arrests have yet been made and Stephan said, an investigation is ongoing. This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available. ...read more read less