Cassidy, 54, a married father of three, was listed in critical condition last night after surgery to relieve swelling in his brain. Cardinal Justin Rigali also went to the hospital to be with the officer's family.
Cassidy was the third police officer to be shot this week and the second within 12 hours.
Police last night released two portions of a surveillance tape that show the beginning of the robbery, at 10:30 a.m., and its immediate aftermath.
In the first section, a hooded man is seen coming into the shop and lurking, as if casing the store at 6620 N. Broad St. Then he pulls out a handgun and waves it as he bulls his way toward the cashier. The last few frames of the section show Cassidy approaching the front door.
The gunman shot Cassidy in the head at close range, Johnson said during a news conference at Police Headquarters. "He assassinated him," Johnson said. "This is very emotional for me."
The second section of the videotape shows the outside of the store. The robber stoops down, picks up Cassidy's handgun, and runs off.
Cassidy had routinely checked the store because it had been robbed Sept. 18, apparently by the same man, Johnson said. Someone in the parking lot had alerted Cassidy to the robbery, he said, and the officer pulled out his gun as he approached.
"The officer was shot while opening the door," said Sandra Kim, a Dunkin' Donuts employee who said she was working the counter at the time. "It's so upsetting to me. This officer came in twice a day, every day. . . . He was always waving and smiling."
Cassidy frequently ordered a large coffee with cream and sugar as he made his rounds.
"I was upset and crying for two or three hours because I know him, and he's a good guy," Kim said. She added that the robber fled before taking any money.
