A funeral will be held Friday for a young electrician who was shot and killed just days before his 28th birthday following an argument outside a local Chinese restaurant in the Overbrook section of the city last week.
The service for Paul McKernan, 27, will take place this Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at McCafferty Funeral Home on 6709 Frankford Avenue.
McKernan, of Northeast Philly, was pronounced dead at 11:59 p.m. August 15 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, less than 30 minutes after he was shot in the throat on the 5500 block of Lansdowne Avenue, according to officials.
McKernan had just exited Lucky Garden where he purchased a few snacks, according to the restaurant's manager.
Moments after leaving the restaurant, McKernan and another man got into a confrontation, according to officials. Police say McKernan walked away, but the man followed him, pulled out a gun and fatally shot him.
Surveillance video from Lucky Garden captured McKernan's final moments, but did not show the shooter.
Police said they pulled footage captured by cameras at other nearby shops and they are currently reviewing it. They have not yet released a description of the suspect.
Friends and family say McKernan, who worked as an electrician, had a bright future ahead of him.
"He was working on taking his test so he could be in the union," said his sister Christyna Hewitt. "He was so passionate about it. He wanted to learn everything he could about his trade."
McKernan's family created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his burial.
"He was just the most loveable, warmhearted, compassionate and funniest man you would ever meet," Hewitt said. "He was a great brother to all of us."
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Anyone with information on the shooting is urged to call Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS.
