Detroit deli open for 35 years will close after weekend robbery

DETROIT (WJBK) - After 35 years, Dynamo Deli in Detroit is closing up for good following an early morning robbery by a masked man.

Dynamo Deli has been near 7 Mile at Lahser for 35 years but after an early morning robbery on Sunday, Johnny Lewis, the owner, said it's time.

"Something died that night," he said.

It was 2 a.m. on Sunday when the deli was closing up. Suddenly, a masked man with a gun entered the deli and told the worker to get down on the ground. Lewis said the crook didn't know he was there so he grabbed his gun and pulled the trigger.

"When I peeked around the corner, he still didn't see me. So I took a step closer to shoot him and my gun jammed. When he saw that he turned around and started shooting at me," Lewis said.

One of the bullets is still lodged in the freezer but despite the spray gunfire, nobody was hit. The security camera wasn't working and the gunman got away.

So far, no official leads as to who the robber was.

"The neighborhood said they're going to find out who did it. If I meet you, I'm not going to do nothing but hug you and tell you this, man, I'm not gonna give up on you,"

Lewis said the life of the Deli is over and there's no turning back.

"That night I almost died, and that was the sign," Lewis said. "They asked me was I scared that night that this guy was shooting at me. I said I wasn't anymore scared like every night I come out here. I'm a firm believer in God. I've had defining moments but that night, -you've seen the bullets - they're as big as me."