Christine Lugo, 41, was unlocking the store on the 500 block of West Lehigh Avenue just before 5.30 a.m. when a man brandished a gun and forced his way in, police said.
Surveillance footage released by the Philadelphia Police Department showed the suspect and Lugo in a back room. In a news release, police said he forced her to turn over cash held in an office, before shooting her once in the head and fled the store. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The store is usually open 24 hours, although only drive-through service is offered overnight. However, Lugo arrived on Saturday morning to open up an empty store as the person who was meant to work overnight called out, assistant manager Terrell Johnson said.
A Dunkin’ spokesperson told the newspaper that store franchisees “are solely responsible for the day-to-day operations of their restaurants, including staffing decisions.”
In a statement to Newsweek, Dunkin’ described the incident as “tragic.”
“All of us at Dunkin’ are saddened to learn of the death of Christine Lugo, and our thoughts go out to her family and friends,” the statement added. “The franchise owner is cooperating fully with the local authorities in their investigation. As this is an active police investigation, we defer any further comment to the Philadelphia Police Department.”
A spokesman for the police department told Newsweek the investigation is active and ongoing. The store where Lugo worked has been contacted for further comment.
Lugo was a mother and grandmother who moved to Philadelphia from Boston several years ago.
“My mom’s goal was to get home, to get home to Massachusetts, to me, my brother, her two grandchildren,” her daughter Frances Rodriguez told 6ABC. “This is not how I planned to bring my mom home.”
Rodriguez and her brother, Christian Lugo, arrived in Philadelphia to find a memorial for their mother outside the Dunkin’ store.
“It warms my heart, I know it warms my sister’s heart, that she affected so many people because she didn’t have no other family out here, but at least she wasn’t alone,” Christian Lugo told the station.
Police have announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction for Lugo’s killer.
They described the suspect as a Black male, in his late 30s to early 40s, with a medium to stocky build, and a mustache and goatee.
Lugo was one of at least 14 people shot over the weekend, according to the Inquirer. Four of those shootings were fatal.
According to the police department’s crime statistics, 228 people have been killed in the city in 2021 through Sunday.
Anyone with information is urged to call police on 215.686.TIPS (8477) or text 215.686.TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted anonymously using an online form.
