An apparent robber pretending to be interested in some Nikes opened fire at a Bronx shoe store today, killing five people, including a mother and her two sons. Four others, including the gunman, were critically wounded.

Michael Vernon, 22, entered Little Chester Shoes shortly before noon, announced a holdup and started firing, police said. The dead also included the store owner's wife, who was celebrating her second wedding anniversary.

Police said Vernon had a hostage as he left the store and was confronted by a highway patrolman who had been flagged down by a woman who escaped from the store.