A deadly day spoils city's quiet weekend
Five were killed and at least eight hurt in violence yesterday. The toll includes Phila.'s 100th homicide victim.
What began as a quiet weekend took a violent turn yesterday as five people were killed, including the city's 101th homicide victim of the year, and at least eight others were shot in numerous assaults.
Police said a 15-year-old boy was fatally shot in the chest and an 18-year-old man was seriously wounded in the chest shortly before 6 p.m. yesterday at Amber and Cambria Streets in the city's Frankford section.
The two were taken to Temple University Hospital, where the 15-year-old was later pronounced dead and the 18-year-old was listed in critical condition. Their names were not released last night, pending notification of family.
Homicide detectives said they had not determined the motive for the attack but suspect it was a driveby shooting.
"This weekend was going well until Sunday," said Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman.
By this date last year, the city had recorded 130 homicides.
Earlier yesterday, a 50-year-old man was found shot in the back at 1:30 p.m. in the vestibule of the West Park Apartments in the 300 block of North Busti Street in West Philadelphia, police said. The man was pronounced dead at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Three other men were killed before dawn after the city reported no shootings or homicides on Friday and Saturday.
Police yesterday charged Nicole Wilson, 26, with murder after she was found at 4:02 a.m. beating and kicking a prone man at a Sunoco station at 5017 N. Broad St. in Logan. The man in his 60s, who was not identified, died about an hour later at Albert Einstein Medical Center of blunt-force head trauma.
Wilson, of the 5400 block of North Warnock Street, has previous convictions in assault and theft cases. Vanore said she was involved in "some kind of argument" with the victim.
Police stumbled upon the beating as the Logan neighborhood was swarming with detectives investigating a double shooting that had occurred about two hours earlier at a tavern about 100 yards away, on the other side of the intersection of Broad Street and Windrim Avenue.
About 1:45 a.m., a gunman opened fire inside Charley B's Bar & Grill, a jazz club at 4948 N. Broad St. in Logan, Homicide Sgt. Charles Coan said.
Marcus Davis, 37, was shot in the head and pronounced dead at Einstein. A 28-year-old man, who stumbled about a block from the bar with a gunshot wound to the back, was taken to Einstein, where he was in stable condition yesterday.
It was unclear what triggered the shooting, which happened while music was playing at the club, Coan said. Yesterday afternoon, detectives were still examining the bar, owned by noted jazz saxophonist Charles Bowen.
No arrests were made, Vanore said, but police were following several leads.
In another killing, police said they found the body of Tyrone Miller, 44, at 2:48 a.m. on the 6800 block of Limekiln Pike in West Oak Lane. He had been shot three times, in the face and chest, police said. There were no witnesses.
At least eight other people were shot early yesterday, including a dramatic South Philadelphia case in which a witness tackled and disarmed a man accused of shooting four patrons near a South Philadelphia bar.
Police charged David DiPrimio, 24, of the 2600 block of South 11th Street, with aggravated assault after they say he shot four men ranging in age from 22 to 25 near Third and Snyder around 2 a.m.
Vanore said the four men had been asked to leave McDaniel's Bar on Second Street near Snyder Avenue after engaging in "an argument over a common female love interest." He said that DiPrimio followed the men down the block before confronting them.
A 25-year-old man who was shot several times in the chest and a 24-year-old man who suffered abdominal wounds were taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where they remained in critical condition last night. Two 22-year-olds, who suffered less serious gunshot wounds, were taken to Methodist Hospital for treatment and released.
A witness chased down the gunman and disarmed and subdued him at Fourth Street and Snyder Avenue until police arrived and arrested DiPrimio.
In another incident around closing time, a 24-year-old man was shot nine times in the legs and arms about 1:43 a.m. outside the Last Call Tavern, 7400 Frankford Ave., in Upper Holmesburg. He was taken to Frankford Torresdale Hospital.
At 1:20 p.m. yesterday, detectives arrested Derrick Whitfield, 23, at home in the 4500 block of Aberdale Road and charged him with attempted murder and firearms violations.
A 16-year-old who shot himself accidentally in the hand at Third and Mentor Streets at 11:23 p.m. Saturday was arrested and charged with firearms violations. A 23-year-old man was shot in the abdomen at Seventh and Allegheny Streets in North Philadelphia shortly before midnight. Two men were taken into custody.