Brooklyn bodega worker in custody after fatally shooting man

Police confiscate unlicensed firearm as they investigate whether clerk acted in self defence

Victim's family say he was returning to store to collect his car keys (AFP via Getty Images)

A store clerk at a Brooklyn bodega fatally shot a man who allegedly threatened him with a knife.

The victim’s family said that the man was returning to the store to pick up car keys he had left there and had called ahead.

The incident took place shortly after 11pm on Monday at the Rose Family Grocery Store on Glenmore Avenue in East New York

The clerk told investigators that Edwin Candelario entered the premises and pulled out a knife in an attempt to rob the store, initial reports said.

The worker then pulled out a gun and opened fire, hitting Mr Candelario, reportedly in the head and torso.

New York Police Department officers responding to the shooting found a knife by his side, but it was not clear if the weapon belonged to him, nor if the clerk had acted in self defence.

Paramedics rushed him to Brookdale University Medical Centre where he was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds at around midnight.

Mr Candelario’s father had driven him to the store to collect the keys and was waiting outside in the car, The Daily News reports.

A spokesperson for the NYPD said there had been a dispute between Mr Candelario and the clerk.

The store clerk was taken into custody and an unlicensed firearm was confiscated by police.

Charges had not been filed as of Tuesday morning and police continue to investigate the death. A charge of possession of an unlicensed weapon could be filed regardless of whether the clerk acted in self defence.

AMNY reports that a court order is being sought for security footage from the store after the owner refused to hand it over.