Shocking moment masked robber holds up NYC restaurant and then shoots customer in face before leaving

New York City police are searching for a suspect who shot a man in the face during a late-night robbery at a seafood restaurant.

The victim, 37, was dining at the Seafood King Fish Market in Washington Heights just before 2 a.m. Wednesday when the shooting occurred, reported WABC.

Surveillance footage shows that the suspect was just about to walk out of the store with a bag full of cash and cellphones when he decided to shoot the victim.

“I don't know if the victim saw it coming, the victim just took his belongings, cell phone and money while he was eating, and I'm sure he watched the encounter with the second victim, who was an employee at the police. location,” Lt. John Russo said.

'It looked like the perpetrator ran out the door. He turned around and fired a shot, hitting the victim in the hood.”

Surveillance footage captures the moment a masked armed robber shot a man in the face at a seafood restaurant

The suspect was about to leave with a bag full of cash when he pulled the trigger

Witnesses said the suspect first sat at the counter and ordered food, then left the restaurant, came back in and went to the bathroom, and then started the robbery.

The cashier had filled a plastic bag with cash from the restaurant and her cell phone when the suspect told her to sit behind the counter before shooting the victim.

Police described the suspect as approximately 6 feet tall, with a medium complexion and believed to have been wearing a black mask and black clothing. They also noticed that he was brandishing a blue gun.

“We found a 9 millimeter shell casing at the scene,” Russo said. “You know, we'll forensically process that to see if it matches any of the shell casings on the face and it doesn't seem to match any other robberies or patterns that we have in the area.”

The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital in critical condition.

Manny Reyes, who grew up with the victim, said: “It was shocking. He was eating, turns to wipe his mouth and gets shot. I hope they catch the guy who did it.”

Police described the suspect as about 6 feet tall, with a medium complexion and brandishing a blue handgun

Residents of the Washington Heights neighborhood, where the restaurant is located, said they were shocked by the scene

Local residents told it PIX11 they were shocked by the scene and concerned about crime in the area.

'Thirty years ago [the community] was very dangerous[ous], but something has changed, for the better. Now it's becoming more dangerous again,' Mirta Pina said.

Gilbert Rivera, a longtime resident, said, “I've seen it go from better to worse and better. This is a throwback to the bad old days.”

Crime data from the New York Police Department's 33rd Precinct – where the restaurant is located – shows that burglaries are up 9.1 percent so far this year.