Pizzeria owner shot in chase with robber

Students from nearby Dorchester High School flocked to Stalex Pizza after school for their favorite slices or subs, and adults, weary from a long day's work, called in to order a no-hassle dinner. Behind the counter, owner Mumin Manavoglu greeted his customers with a smile. If they were short on change, he took what they had. The hefty owner was a popular fixture in the community, and business was good.

But yesterday morning, as Manavoglu, 45, prepared to open his shop at the corner of Norfolk Street and Woodrow Avenue, according to police, a man strode in with a mask pulled over his face and a gun in his hand. He robbed Manavoglu of $60 and ran out of the small shop. The owner gave chase. Outside on the sidewalk, the robber turned and fired a single shot that hit Manavoglu in the head, police said.

Yesterday, Manavoglu, the father of three children, was on life support at Boston Medical Center, his family nearby in a somber vigil.

Two Boston police officers arrested Gary Johnson, 18, of Dorchester, minutes after the shooting, chasing him behind a nearby church. Johnson is expected to be arraigned today in Dorchester District Court, facing charges of assault with intent to murder, armed robbery, and several other offenses, police said. Police recovered a firearm from the scene.

"Here's a guy, an immigrant to this country, working hard, and now he's on life support because someone tried to steal 60 bucks," said Deputy Superintendent Thomas Lee, speaking during an afternoon press conference.

As word of the shooting spread throughout the community, many of Manavoglu's customers expressed disbelief and outrage.

"This is crazy, the person who did this must have been waiting for him," said Millie George, 25, of Mattapan, a customer.

City records show that Manavoglu took ownership of the shop in January 2004, but George and other longtime customers say Manavoglu and his relatives have been running the shop for many years.

"They know everybody in the neighborhood," said Lily Jackson, 27, standing across the street as police investigated at the scene. "If you bought a sub and didn't have enough money, he'd give it to you. They just renovated the place about two months ago to add more room, because it was so busy in there."

Antoine Montgomery, pastor of the Prayer Tower Apostolic Church, the building the suspect allegedly hid behind, said of Manavoglu, "He's a great guy to the kids in the community. This is very troubling, but stuff like this is happening everywhere. Violence doesn't surprise me anymore."

Montgomery said the church runs an academy for children located yards from where Manavoglu was shot. "There were three kids in there [the academy] and they left just minutes before this happened. Usually, all my kids go back and forth to the pizza shop. Last night at 10 o'clock, my wife ordered from there."

Manavoglu lives with his wife, Yasmin, and their three children at the Canterbury Arms, a 132-unit apartment building where property manager Nora Kane burst into tears yesterday when told that Manavoglu had been shot and critically wounded. She said the couple have endeared themselves to the complex's staff and residents, and have lived in the complex for the last four years.

"They are the happiest couple you ever have met, the happiest ever and the most wonderful people," she said. "It's awful. They are just hardworking people, not bothering nobody. Just hardworking and loving their children."

Kane said the couple has two daughters, ages 5 and 3, and a son, who is about 1. Interviewed in the management office, she said the children got dressed up for Halloween and happily paraded before her in their costumes Wednesday night. "They are the most beautiful children you have ever seen," said Kane, wiping tears from her eyes. "It's just so sad. He was so proud of his little boy."

Kane said Manavoglu worked at the pizza shop while his wife stayed home to care for their children. "Why did he run after him?" she asked.

Boston City Councilor Charles Yancey, whose district includes Norfolk Street, said members of his extended family are frequent customers of the restaurant. "They have always been very, very nice people," he said. "I am very upset."

Yancey said the shooting of Manavoglu could cause other merchants in the neighborhood to start fearing for their own safety.

"Many of the merchants are going to be justifiably concerned for their lives as well," he said in a telephone interview. "It's really devastating our community."

Yancey applauded the quick arrest of the suspect and also credited police Commissioner Edward F. Davis for making sure there are officers in the neighborhood. But he said more officers should be deployed in Mattapan, Roxbury, and Dorchester. "A police presence like that is far more important than a shot spotter," he said, referring to a sound-detection system that pinpoints the locations of gunshots.

Manavoglu had been part-owner of Brookline Family Restaurant on 305 Washington St. in Brookline Village, but broke off and started his own business, apparently the pizza shop, according to James Kickham, a Brookline lawyer who handled licensing issues for the company known as Cousin's Restaurant Corporation. Brookline town records suggest Manavoglu became involved in the Brookline restaurant in 2003.

Gary Johnson has had previous arrests for marijuana possession and disorderly conduct, according to Dorchester court records.