A senior citizen is fighting for his life following a shooting incident in West Philadelphia. The violent occurrence unfolded around 8 p.m. yesterday in the Bernice Arms Senior Apartments located on the 6000 block of Baltimore Avenue. Reports from the scene indicate that the victim, a 67-year-old man, sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen during an altercation with another individual in the hallway of the apartment complex. He was promptly taken to a nearby hospital, where he remains in critical condition, as noted by CBS News Philadelphia.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told the press, "They were in the hallway right outside of the apartment door where the 67-year-old lives. There was an argument and it escalated to shots fired." At least five shots were discharged during the incident, as observed by the bullet holes later found in the victim's door and the apartment wall. Authorities are to meticulously canvas the building to identify the shooter, with attempts to secure footage from cameras both inside and outside the facility, 6abc reported.
Despite ongoing investigations, it remains unclear whether the shooter is a resident of the Bernice Arms Senior Apartments. "Police are talking to the building staff in an effort to identify the shooter," Chief Inspector Small said in a statement obtained by CBS News Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Police Department has not yet released any substantial leads on the identity of the other man involved in the confrontation. "Investigators said that they think there was an argument between the 67-year-old and another man in the second floor hallway of the apartment building," according to an NBC Philadelphia report.
