Police search for convenience store owner's killer

TAMPA (FOX 13) - Sunday afternoon, customers of the 29th Street Store in Tampa lost one of their own.

Tampa Police say the store owner, 60-year-old Mohamoud Ibrahim, was shot and killed in an apparent robbery attempt.

"We're trying to figure out who the suspect is," said Tampa Police Public Information Officer Stephen Hegarty. "We're looking for witnesses, we're looking for video, we're looking for anything we can get to bring him to justice."

With the investigation in its infancy, the family and neighbors are left questioning why anyone would want to kill Ibrahim.

"He's just been there for so long, everybody knew him," said Josh Givens who grew up down the street from Ibrahim's store. "Everybody in the area that stays in the area, goes to that store day in and day out."

"Abe's always been around."

Givens says he was much more than a man who ran a business.

"He never gave no one problems. Nothing like that," said Givens. "He tried to laugh with you, try to tell you to stay out of trouble, get a job. All that kind of good stuff."

Anthony Perry says been going to the store since he was a teenager.

"I don't think nobody deserves that, at all," said Perry.

Residents nearby often found themselves at the 29th Street Store, because it's the closest shop to them.

"All the other stores are probably like 5-10 blocks away," said Perry. "I mean, it's convenient."

Many of the people we spoke to said the same. Ibrahim had made his mark at his shop, and Givens, still in shock, has message for the person or people responsible for his death.

"It was wrong. It was wrong. Nobody deserves it, Abe didn't deserve it," said Givens.

"It's just crazy to me that this really happened. This is really Abe man. It's crazy."

As of Sunday night, police say no suspects had been identified. Anyone with information regarding this crime is urged to call Tampa Police at (813) 231-6130.