An 88-year-old Air Force veteran and retired SEPTA bus driver, Richard Butler, was fatally shot in West Philadelphia, leaving behind a community in mourning. The incident occurred on the 100 block of North Dewey Street on Tuesday afternoon, reports CBS News Philadelphia. According to police, Butler was found with two gunshot wounds to the chest inside his white Hyundai, which was still operational when they arrived on the scene.
Still running with a large hole in the driver-side window, the Hyundai crashed into a flower planter. Police resorted to using a crowbar to access the vehicle and Butler was subsequently rushed to Penn Presbyterian Medical, where his death was later pronounced. Hailed as a beloved figure in the community, his family is clueless as to who could commit such an act, and he had just dropped off a friend before the tragedy struck him, as detailed in the statement obtained by CBS News Philadelphia.
Butler’s family remembers him as the patriarch of not just their family but the entire neighborhood. "Pops. Dad. Uncle. Brother to everyone," said his niece Minette Finn. “If you met him, you loved him. That's all I'm going to say. Anyone in this neighborhood could tell you probably.” Minette told 6ABC that her uncle was known for his routine habits and unsparing kindness.
Minutes before the deadly shooting, home surveillance footage captured a man emerging from a silver sedan which police sources indicate may be a suspect. Following that, Butler was shot twice in the chest while parked, according to 6ABC. With details still unfolding, law enforcement officials are in search of any video material that may have caught the calamity as it happened.
Butler was not only respected for his military service, but also for his contributions to his community. "You know my father never bothered nobody," Orlando Butler, his son, said to NBC Philadelphia. "He's been an outstanding citizen in the community. Took care of all the kids from the block." He reminisced about days past when his father would take local children to Atlantic City and Wildwood, sharing with them a world beyond their Philadelphia confines. As the investigation proceeds, no weapons have been retrieved and no suspects or motives have been disclosed by the police.
.jpg){kind=link}