Accused Delilah's shooter charged with attempted murder
A Camden County man was arraigned Wednesday morning and faces a host of charges for allegedly firing into the parking lot of the Philadelphia gentlemen's club.
A New Jersey man accused of firing an AR-15 rifle into the parking lot of Delilah's gentlemen's club in Old City last week has been charged with two counts of attempted murder, aggravated assault, and related offenses, according to court records.
An affidavit of probable cause filed Wednesday alleges that Lawrence Mitchell, 29, of Laurel Springs, Camden County, fired several shots from the fifth floor of an apartment building being constructed across the street from Delilah's, on the 100 block of Spring Garden Street, shortly after 6 p.m. March 27. The bullets passed just a few feet over the heads of a club owner and an employee before hitting nearby cars and the outside of the club, the affidavit says.
The document does not detail a motive for Mitchell's actions, but says he tried to climb onto the roof of Delilah's before the shooting, using a chair to seek access to a hatch at the back of the building.
Mitchell, 29, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Municipal Court, court records show, and his bail was set at $1 million. A prison spokesperson said he did not post bail and was in custody.
Mitchell was arrested last week in Gloucester Township and waived extradition to Philadelphia on Tuesday.
Police and court records said Wednesday that video surveillance was key to identifying Mitchell for arrest, showing his tan Buick LeSabre and a partial license plate as he drove around the club and apartment building before and after the shooting.
Police said Mitchell was found at his home last Thursday with a rifle scope, a loaded 20-round rifle magazine, and marijuana. He had been cited a day earlier for marijuana possession in Gloucester Township, police said.
Mitchell's mother turned in an AR-15 rifle to police the day he was arrested, according to the affidavit.
Attempts to reach Mitchell's family Wednesday were unsuccessful. Court records said he was represented by a public defender, but none was available to comment.
Police have said there was no indication that anything happened inside Delilah's that led to the shooting, but have offered no further details on a potential motive.
The affidavit says Mitchell gave a video-recorded statement to detectives admitting that he fired the shots from the building across the street.
Several ramps from I-95 were closed for a few hours after the shooting. The club reopened the next day.