INQUIRER: Police wounded an apparently suicidal South Jersey teenager who they said broke into his grandparents’ South Philadelphia rowhouse early this morning. The teen, identified as Patrick McMurtrie, 18, of Turnersville, allegedly stabbed himself several times before lunging at police with a knife. An officer fired twice, striking him in the head. McMurtrie’s condition has been upgraded from critical to stable at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. About 2 a.m., police received reports of a white male breaking into a second-floor window in a narrow alley behind the 200 block of Gerritt Street. When officers arrived, they spotted someone in the house. They entered and called out to the knife-wielding intruder. “It appears he’s stabbing himself in the chest with the knife,” said Lt. Frank Vanore, a police spokesman. “The teen was on the phone apparently talking about killing himself,” Vanore said. Police spoke to McMurtrie, but he refused to cooperate, Vanore said, and lunged at the officers, prompting a Fourth District sergeant to fire. MORE
INQUIRER: Gun violence and a stabbing killed four five Philadelphians yesterday and left one in critical condition, police said. There were no arrests.The first victim was attacked at 6300 Chester Ave. in Southwest Philadelphia at 12:30 a.m. Police said the man, who was 41 and lived in the 6000 block of Regent Street, was stabbed once in the chest.
He was pronounced dead at Mercy Hospital 20 minutes later. The body of a 48-year-old man was found in a grassy area near 900 West Cumberland St. at 6:20 a.m. with a gunshot wound in the upper left side of his back. Police declined to release his identity pending notification of next of kin.
A double shooting occurred at 1:45 a.m. at 800 East Allegheny Ave. in Port Richmond. One of the victims, Darrien Grant, 18, of the 5000 block of Homestead Avenue, was shot once in the chest and once in the back. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:10 a.m.
An unidentified man was found fatally shot in a car last night at 54th Street and Chester Avenue. Police said the man had been shot in the head and was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 10:30 p.m.
A 36-year-old man was fatally shot in the city’s Kingsessing neighborhood last night, police said. Anthony C. Jackson, of the 1900 block of South Cecil Street, was found by police behind the wheel of a burgundy Oldsmobile shortly before 10 p.m near 54th Street and Chester Avenue. MORE