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Police still have no suspects in Prospect shooting

PROSPECT — State police continue to investigate a shooting Friday outside the Prospect Corner Store on Main Street.

But investigators have no suspects and the alleged victim isn’t talking, authorities said.

“He’s not willing to cooperate,” Trooper Max DeLuca said Sunday of the victim, a 22-year-old man who police are not identifying.

Police have not ruled out a drug deal gone bad but a motive for the shooting is unclear, DeLuca admitted.

A boy, who police did not identify, drove the victim to the store shortly after 5 p.m. The boy agreed to give the man a ride, police said, believing they were going to buy merchandise at the store.

But when they got there, the victim got out of the youth’s vehicle and got into the back seat of a gold-colored car occupied by five males — two blacks and three Hispanics.

“While in the vehicle an altercation occurred,” according to a police report. “A single gunshot was fired from inside of the (suspects’) vehicle.”

The victim fled and returned to the boy’s vehicle, which drove away. The suspects also drove off but in the opposite direction.

Surveillance video outside the store captured the shooting; however, the poor quality of the video offered few clues, DeLuca said.

“It’s grainy video without audio,” he said.

Police were unable to make out the license plate number of the suspects’ car.

Investigators noted that some of the suspects went into the store before the shooting but none of the employees recognized them.

Police said three employees were working at the time.

“No one in the store saw the shooting,” DeLuca said. “They heard the shot but didn’t see anything.”

A .40-caliber or .45-caliber bullet casing was recovered in the parking lot, police said.

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