A shooting rampage at a Chinese supermarket in Buenos Aires killed its owner and injured the owner's wife and an employee on Wednesday night.

Female cashier Chen Yueru, one of the two injured, told Xinhua in hospital that a gunman shot at the owner, his wife and her when they were about to have supper.

Chen said she knew the gunman, who had pretended to go to the supermarket's toilet before opening fire.

The owner's wife was still in a coma.

Neighbors and relatives of the victims said they suspected the gunman was a member of some crime gangs.

Many Chinese in Argentina run supermarkets for a living. From last year, some Chinese supermarkets in this South American country became targets of violent crimes and many Chinese were killed or wounded.

Rampant crimes have posed a grave security threat to local Chinese communities and caused public anger among ethnic Chinese.