A delivery truck driver was shot Thursday afternoon as he was on his way to make a delivery in north Minneapolis.

Shot once in the lower back, the driver, who is in his mid-30s, turned his DHL van around and went to a hardware store at the corner of Penn and Lowry Avenues N. for help, according to police and witnesses.

He was in stable condition at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale Thursday evening, Sgt. Mike Taylor said.

He added that the crime was very disconcerting and that no arrests have yet been made.

It appears the driver -- a courier with Freedom Logistics, which contracts with DHL for delivery services in the metro area -- was an innocent victim, and it's unknown who shot at him or why, Taylor said.

Minutes after making a delivery to the North End Hardware and Rental store, a longtime North Side business where he often makes stops, the driver was traveling along Oliver Avenue N. near 30th Avenue N. about 2 p.m. when he was shot.

The bullet went through the side of the van and the driver's seat before hitting him, Taylor and store employees said.

"There's solid people there," Taylor said of the store. "[The driver] knew they'd be able to offer assistance."

The driver parked his van in front of the store and went in, still bleeding, saying, "I've been shot. I need an ambulance," according to store employee Phil Burton.

Before the ambulance arrived, the driver was able to describe to Burton and other employees what happened.

Given the circumstances, Burton said, the driver seemed to be "taking it quite well."

Shortly after learning of the incident, several members of MAD DADS, an antiviolence group, came to Penn and Lowry to hold up signs urging an end to bloodshed in the neighborhood.

"If a man can't make an honest living without getting shot, then there's some serious issues going on," MAD DADS leader V.J. Smith said. "We need to make sure we get to these guns."

Tom Ford • 612-673-4921

Tom Ford • tford @startribune.com