Horror at Philly hair salon after gunman walked in and forced three women into back room

Three women were pistol-whipped and beaten by a Philadelphia man who burst into their salon and forced them into a locked room, where he sexually assaulted one and fatally shot another.

The Philadelphia Police Department is still looking for suspect Jamal Pistoria, 33, who is considered incredibly dangerous, after he entered ABBA Blessed Beauty Salon and abused three workers, District Attorney Larry Krasner said.

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Surveillance footage showed the man entering the salon around 2pm on Monday, where he pointed a gun at one of the women behind the cash register, the DA’s Office said.

He allegedly walked the woman at gunpoint to the back room, where two other workers were. Pistoria then fired a bullet into the ceiling and locked the door behind him.

Pistoria then allegedly began beating and pistol-whipping one of the women. He also began to sexually assault one of the three women, who are between the ages of 33 and 44.

At one point, he shot Bellaniri Ofelia Hernandez Camilo, a 34-year-old hair washer at the salon. Prosecutors said she did not engage with Pistoria ‘whatsoever’ and ‘did not appear to fight back.’

‘He just decides to shoot her,’ Assistant District Attorney Jeff Hojnowski said, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The attack lasted around six minutes before the women realized Pistoria had no bullets left. The two uninjured women then attacked him, causing him to flee the store.

On his way out, he grabbed the cash register and made it out with a little money, the DA’s Office said.

The women were taken to Jefferson Einstein Hospital, where Camilo was declared dead.

The salon’s owner, Arisleidy Pérez Gil, said in a GoFundMe for Camilo’s funeral expenses that she was also injured.

‘She is currently receiving medical attention and will require arm surgery. Her recovery will be a difficult process, both physically and emotionally,’ the fundraiser said.

Police were able to identify Pistoria from surveillance video showing him buying a drink from a corner store before the attack, The Inquirer said.

People who knew Pistoria confirmed to police it was him who was behind the attack. Cops believe that the alleged attack was at random.

He is expected to face murder, sexual assault and robbery charges, among others. Police are asking the public for help finding him.

Camilo’s family is mourning the loss of the mother-of-two, whose children are eight and 12, respectively.

Camilo and her husband, Francis Acosta Santos, are originally from Chile and were saving up to buy a home in the Dominican Republic, where the rest of their family lives, Santos told The Inquirer.

Santos said his wife was taking classes to become a stylist at the salon.

He has yet to tell his oldest child, who lives overseas, that their mother has died. He told their youngest that their mother was now an angel.

Santos has now vowed to continue to work toward their dream of moving to Dominican Republic.

‘I’m going to make it. I’m going to fight to fulfill her dream and complete that house even with her gone,’ he told the outlet.

Pistoria has a rap sheet, including 2016 burglary and robbery charges in Montgomery County.

He was sentenced to two to four years in prison after pleading guilty to the 2016 crimes.

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Philadelphia Police Department and the salon’s owner for comment.

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