Police: Man, 39, shot dead after altercation in Germantown

A 39-year-old man was shot dead in Germantown Wednesday night after an altercation with another man, police said.

Cops were called to Fernhill Road near Apsley Street shortly after 9 p.m. and found the man lying in a stairwell leading to a basement apartment with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso and chest, Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

He was pronounced dead there at 9:30 p.m.

Police said a handgun that they believe the victim possessed at the time of the shooting was found at his feet.

The alleged shooter, a 25-year-old man, stayed at the scene and gave police his own handgun when they arrived, according to investigators.

He was taken to the Homicide Unit for questioning, and police said he might have had a permit to carry the gun. They were working early Thursday to determine whether it was valid.

Five witnesses were also taken in for interviews, police said.

Fourteen shell casings were found at the scene in close proximity to the victim's body, Small said.

Investigators said preliminary information indicated that the men had gotten into an altercation that ended in gunfire. Both appeared to have been in possession of handguns at the time of the shooting, police said.

The homicide remained under investigation early Thursday morning.