NBCPhiladelphia.com
Rudolph Gary, 26, was charged with opening fire on three people, killing his brother-in-law all because of a water gun fight, say sources.
Family members say an off-duty Philadelphia police officer shot and killed their relative over a water gun fight Sunday evening in South Philadelphia.
A source tells NBC Philadelphia that off-duty officer Rudolph Gary's girlfriend claimed her $600 cell phone got squirted during the water fight and that's what set off the deadly incident.
"He [the off-duty officer] got mad, came out and pulled his gun, and was like, move, move, move, and shot him twice," said Leflecia Walker, the victim's cousin.
The off-duty officer, 26-year-old Rudolph Gary, was charged with Murder and related offenses Monday afternoon. He was suspended from the police force for 30 days with intent to dismiss.
In all, three people were shot -- two men and one woman. Howard Williams, 23, was shot in the chest and died at the hospital.
"He was on his block with his family just having a water fight, doin' nothing," Walker said.
Gary is Williams' brother-in-law and the officer was there to pick up his 8-year old son from his estranged wife's care, according to the family.
The way witnesses tell the story, there was a water gun fight going on and Gary's girlfriend got wet from a super-soaker type of water gun. The officer's girlfriend got into a fight with another woman and at that point, according to witnesses, Howard Williams tried to intervene.
Gary went to his car, got a gun and started shooting, witnesses tell NBC Philadelphia's Claudia Rivero.
Police did confirm that an off-duty officer shot Williams, 23, after getting into a confrontation with people around 6:30 p.m. in the 1800 block of Hoffman Street.
One woman, 26, was shot in the leg and another man, 18, was grazed in the leg.
Gary is being held without bail as Internal Affairs continues to investigate.
