INQUIRER: Philadelphia police are investigating the deaths of six men killed between Saturday morning and last night, all victims of violence. Police have no suspects in custody in a crime spree that Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey had two words for yesterday: “not good.”
The job today, Ramsey said, will be to look at “anything that we can do to maybe make the situation less likely” to recur. Among factors that will be explored, he said, is whether the killings occurred in any of the city’s designated high-crime areas and, if so, whether enough officers are assigned there.
In the most recent death, a 32-year-old man was shot in North Philadelphia after an argument.
Police responded to the 2400 block of West Clifford Street, where Anthony Stevenson had been shot once in the abdomen. Stevenson was taken to Hahnemann Hospital, where he died at 8:02 p.m. There were no suspects last night, police said.
Earlier in the day, a 46-year-old driver for Germantown Cab Co. was found shot in the head in his taxi in the 1800 block of North 20th Street in North Philadelphia at 9:26 a.m. He was pronounced dead four minutes later. Police expect today to release his identity and details of the shooting.
At 3 a.m. yesterday, Chon Kim, 62, of Edison, N.J., was found shot once in the chest in the 5400 block of North Fifth Street in Olney. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:26 p.m.
The first of Saturday night’s victims, Terron Epp, 20, of Upper Darby, was found with gunshot wounds at 6:11 p.m. at 57th Street and Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia. Epp was pronounced dead at 6:29 p.m. at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Five hours later, James Corry, 19, was found dead at his home in the 2600 block of Hobson Street in Southwest Philadelphia. He had been shot multiple times in the head and once in the shoulder, police said.
Also, a male victim who had been found shot in the head around 1:30 a.m. yesterday at 52d and Webster Streets in Southwest Philadelphia was reported in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, police said.
His identity and age were not available.
Shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday, police found Timothy Haines in his vehicle in the 3500 block of North Marvine Street in North Philadelphia.
He was pronounced dead at the scene of gunshot wounds.
UPDATE: Police this morning identified the cab driver found shot to death in his taxi during a bloody weekend that claimed seven lives in Philadelphia.
Benjamin Elder, 46, of the 800 block of East Allegheny Avenue, was found shot in the right side of his head while sitting in the driver’s seat of a Germantown Cab Co. taxi at 9:26 a.m. yesterday, said Officer Christine O’Brien.
Police responding to a call found the taxi in a parking lot in the 1800 block of North 20th Street. Medics pronounced Elder dead at the scene.
As of the end of last night, there had been 95 homicides in the city compared to 116 for the same time last year, O’Brien said.
She also identified a homicide victim from Friday night.
Michael Shawn Johnson, 36, of the 500 block of Adams Avenue, was found shot multiple times in the rear of a location in the 4800 block fo Tackawanna Street around 8 p.m.. He was taken to Temple University Hospital and pronounced dead at 9:34 p.m.
Already identified as victims this weekend:
*Chon H. Kim, 62, of Edison, N.J.
*Terron Epps, 20, of Upper Darby.
*Timothy Haines, 24, of the 200 block of West Erie Avenue.
*James E. Corry, 19, of teh 2600 block of South Hobson Street.
*Anthony Stevenson, 32, West Clifford Street.
Police reported no arrests in any of the cases. [via INQUIRER]