The brutal disruption of the peace in an Upper Darby neighborhood has left the community reeling after a 22-year-old Philadelphia man was chased and shot to death in what residents describe as an unprecedented act of violence in this typically quiet area. In the early morning hours of Wednesday, a sequence of events unfolded on the streets around Penarth and South Keystone Avenues, where most have spent years building a life amid familiar tranquillity, as reported by FOX29.
Glenn Heym, a neighborhood resident, expressed his disbelief to CBS News Philadelphia, stating, "This is the first time this has ever happened in this neighborhood". The violence spilled onto the properties of those nearby, with one bullet striking a vehicle and the wall of a house and another hitting Edward Robinson's porch grill. In his words, "It used to be nice up here," his resignation to the changing times captured in a moment's reflection, "I guess that's the way it is."
The cascade of bullets that disturbed the neighborhood's calm came just as the community was gearing up for a Fourth of July celebration, expected to be held barely a mile and a half from the incident at the local school's baseball field. The fatal shooting, apparently the result of a trap laid by six men according to police, has added a layer of apprehension to the planned festivities. Despite the ominous overture to the holiday, local law enforcement has assured that security measures for the evening's fireworks show will be tight, a reassurance to a community now touched by the far reach of urban violence.
The nature of the bait that drew the young man into the deadly snare remains under investigation by the Upper Darby police.
