Gunshots shattered a quiet Wednesday night in Point Breeze when a 31-year-old man was fatally wounded at a South Philadelphia intersection, police said. Officers on patrol in the neighborhood heard the gunfire around 10:30 p.m. and rushed to 21st and Wharton streets, where they found the victim bleeding on the sidewalk. He was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead about a half hour later, around 11 p.m., according to police. Investigators recovered two spent shell casings just inches from the man, a detail they say points to a close-range shooting.
Police details
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC10 Philadelphia that officers were already on patrol when they heard the shots and headed straight to the corner.
Small said detectives believe the gunman may have been someone who had an altercation with the victim on Tuesday. Investigators are now banking on surveillance-camera footage to help identify a suspect and piece together what led up to the deadly encounter.
How to help investigators
The Philadelphia Police Department is asking anyone who saw or heard anything to get in touch with detectives.
The department's Submit a Tip page lists the tipline as 215-686-TIPS (8477) and offers an online form where people can anonymously upload photos, video or other information that might help the case.
Point Breeze context
The killing is the latest in a string of serious incidents that have kept Point Breeze residents on edge and highlighted ongoing public-safety concerns in parts of South Philadelphia.
In April, a man was left critically wounded in a neighborhood shooting covered by CBS Philadelphia. Just a month earlier, The Inquirer reported on a fatal house fire in Point Breeze that claimed a man's life.
As reported by NBC10 Philadelphia, the city's homicide detectives are leading the investigation into Wednesday night's shooting, and no arrests had been announced as of that night. Detectives plan to review security-camera footage and any available cellphone video, and they again urged anyone with information to call the tipline or use the department's online form.
