Man, 22, shot dead just off La Salle University campus

A 22-year-old man was shot dead just off of La Salle University's campus Tuesday afternoon.

The victim, the city's 50th homicide of the year, was shot once in the left side in an alley near Olney Avenue and 19th Street, police said.

The shooting was sparked by an argument, which later escalated into a fistfight between a group of men, Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

One of the men pulled a gun and shot the victim, who then staggered across Olney Avenue and collapsed in front of La Salle University. The victim was not a La Salle student.

He was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about 4:30 p.m., Small said.

Several men were seen fleeing the scene, with the shooter heading north on 20th Street toward Chew Avenue.

The victim was "well-known to police," Small said, and was not affiliated with the school. There's no word on what sparked the argument.

Several witnesses are being interviewed by Homicide detectives.

The shooting occurred feet from where the school's president, Brother Michael McGinniss, lives, according to a source in the university.

Anna Melnyk Allen, the school's associate dean of students, declined to comment, referring questions to statements posted on the school's online portal.

The school, which recently celebrated its 150th anniversary, wasn't locked down in the wake of the shooting, and evening classes are still being held as scheduled, according to that source.

In a statement sent to students, the university's Office of Campus Safety and Security asked students to remain inside their homes until further notice.