Man in wheelchair shot dead in home invasion

A 36-year-old man in a wheelchair was fatally shot during an apparent home invasion in Philadelphia's Tioga section overnight, police said.

The shooting on the 3300 block of North Gratz Street was reported about 11:55 p.m. Thursday.

Two assailants tried to force their way into the home, and got into a struggle with the paralyzed, wheelchair-bound victim, Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters.

Medics found the man on the living room floor, bleeding from his head, neck and chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:09 a.m. Friday, police said. The slain man's name wasn't immediately released.

Another person, described as the man's caretaker, was also wounded. That 51-year-old man was shot in his right leg and back, police said. He was listed in stable condition at Temple University Hospital.

Small described the incident as a home invasion-homicide but said more details about the motive weren't known.

Further information on the incident or victims wasn't immediately available. Police had no description of any suspects.

Five other people were in the house at the time of the shooting: A woman and four juveniles, according to Small. They heard the gunfire but did not see the altercation and were not harmed, he said.