(JTA) — A kosher bakery owner in Philadelphia was shot in the face during what appeared to be an attempted robbery.
Ziza Djordevic, 56, was taking a cigarette break outside the Best Cake Kosher Bakery early Friday morning when two assailants approached and shot her, according to the local ABC affiliate, 6ABC. The assailants fled the scene with Djordevic’s apron, which is where she keeps her money.
The bakery sits on a strip with numerous other Jewish establishments on the northwestern outskirts of Philadelphia.
After the victim called 911, she was rushed to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in critical condition. The bullet, which had passed through her windpipe, was lodged in her spine, 6ABC reported.
Police are searching for the assailants. They said there had been a robbery attempt at the bakery about a week ago and that the burglar was likely familiar with Djordevic’s daily routine, including the fact that she arrives at 4 a.m. Fridays.
“It clearly was a set-up robbery as far as we’re concerned,” Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives told 6ABC. “They clearly cased this out, knew what she did and had familiarity with this particular business.”
6ABC reported that Djordevic “is well known in the neighborhood for her kindness, for helping the less fortunate, and for giving people who need jobs second chances.”
“She always welcomed them back. Even if they didn’t show up for a few days, she’d always take them back,” Guy Shitrit of Shalom Pizza told the station.
Overbrook, the bakery’s neighborhood, is located near the Philadelphia Main Line suburbs of Merion and Haverford.
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