U. Darby police seek 'person of interest' in cabbie slaying

Upper Darby Township police yesterday identified "an armed and dangerous" man as a "person of interest" in the slaying of a cab driver early on Christmas Eve.

Police issued an arrest warrant for Ramir Andre Steve, 19, who has addresses in Upper Darby and Philadelphia, on charges unrelated to the homicide.

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said the investigation into the Monday morning death of Gregory Cunningham, 42, of Clifton Heights, led them to one of Steve's addresses: the 7400 block of Rogers Avenue in Upper Darby. There, police found a stolen .45-caliber, semiautomatic handgun.

Chitwood said police want to interview Steve, who has been charged with illegal weapons possession, receiving stolen property and related offenses.

Chitwood said Cunningham was shot in the back of the head. The death was discovered after someone used the cab's two-way radio to make a "taunting, boastful" call about the killing, investigators said.

Police Capt. Michael Kenny said earlier this week that County Cab dispatched Cunningham to a home in the 7400 block of Rogers Avenue in Upper Darby at about 2 a.m. The radio transmission was made at 3 a.m. Monday.

Cunningham's body was found about 6 a.m. that day in a walkway between Buildings E and F of the Park Lane East Apartments in Upper Darby.

His empty cab, a white Ford Crown Victoria, was found earlier, at 3:21 a.m., at Keystone and Sellers Avenues.

Kenny said Cunningham, who was single and lived alone, had been driving for about two years for County Cab, based at 67th and Upland Streets in Southwest Philadelphia. He primarily drove nights, coworkers said, and was eager to help other drivers navigate Upper Darby's network of streets.

Police said Steve's criminal history includes a juvenile burglary conviction. According to court records, Steve was arraigned on Dec. 18 in Philadelphia on theft and related offenses. A bench warrant was issued Monday, court records said.