An 80-year-old woman driving her Honda CR-V was struck by gunfire on Oct. 10 when a shootout erupted between two cars on the 600 block of Robbins Street in Philadelphia, and police say the suspect briefly stopped to check on her before driving off and vanishing before officers arrived.
Philadelphia police are searching for a suspect who exchanged gunfire with occupants of another vehicle, striking the woman as she drove nearby, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. Police said the suspect was driving a black Honda Civic when they traded shots with unknown occupants of a white Honda Civic during the encounter on Robbins Street.
According to the outlet, the suspect in the black Civic pulled over momentarily to check on the woman after she was hit, then left the scene before officers arrived. Police have not released details about her condition, and the report notes the suspect may have been the victim of a robbery shortly before the shooting — a detail police have described only conditionally.
Police Release Video in Hopes of an ID
The Philadelphia Police Department's Shooting Investigation Unit has released video and photos of the suspect, hoping someone recognizes the person and comes forward with a tip. Anyone with information about the suspect or the shooting is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department, the station's report notes.
No arrest has been announced in the case, and the circumstances that put two cars trading gunfire on a residential block, with an uninvolved driver caught in the middle, remain under investigation.
Not an Isolated Incident on Philly Streets
The Robbins Street shooting is one of several recent cases in the region involving bystanders or drivers wounded by gunfire tied to disputes they weren't part of. Just two days before this article published, Pennsylvania State Police said a 32-year-old man from Camden was shot at by someone in a car behind him on the on-ramp from Allegheny Avenue to Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, according to NBC10 Philadelphia. That victim drove himself to a hospital, where he was treated and listed in stable condition.
In late September, an 83-year-old woman sitting on the steps in front of her North Philadelphia home was wounded by stray gunfire tied to a shooting she had no part in, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. She was struck twice in the torso around 5:15 p.m. on the 2300 block of North Gratz Street and taken to Temple University Hospital, where she was listed in stable condition. Investigators found more than 40 spent shell casings from two different-caliber firearms at that scene, along with an empty sedan crashed into a light pole with its engine still running and a handgun inside; surveillance video reportedly showed a blue Honda Accord stop on nearby Dauphin Street before someone got out and opened fire. Police said it was unclear whom that shooter was targeting, and no arrests have been reported in that case either.
What Comes Next
For now, the Robbins Street case remains open, with investigators relying on the released footage and public tips to track down the driver of the black Civic. No further updates on the 80-year-old victim's condition have been made public.
