A young couple are dead after a shooting in the Olney section of Philadelphia.
Police say Rodney Ramseur and Latia Jones, both 21, were sitting together on the porch of Ramseur's home on the 200 block of Sparks Street when they were approached by a gunman. The gunman allegedly shot both of them in the head and then fled the scene.
“He had the opportunity to run in the house and get away from the gunfire, but, you know, he protected his family because he knew that his mother and young brother and my sister were all downstairs, so he chose to hop the fence to direct the gunfire away from the house, the victim’s sister Alyssa Ramseur tells NBC10's Katy Zachry.
Ramseur was pronounced dead at the scene while Jones was pronounced dead at Einstein Hospital shortly before 10 p.m. Friends tell NBC10 hat the two had just started dating. Police say the male victim's sister, who is 8-months pregnant, ran outside after she heard gunshots and found her dead brother. Investigators say the trauma of her brother's death caused her to go into early labor, although she has since been released from the hospital.
"I didn't see anyone, I didn't see the shooter, I just saw he was dead, and it's just, it's really sad," said Tonae Johnson, the victim's pregnant sister.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small gave a description of the shooter.
"The information we received is that there was a young male, wearing a Gray hooded sweatshirt, and blue jeans," said Inspector Small. "He was last seen running north on 3rd Street from Sparks towards Godfrey. We believe at least five or six shots were fired based on the ballistic evidence at the scene. We also have at least one witness who is providing us with information."
Police tell NBC10 that they plan on visiting local business throughout the day to see if the gunman was caught on surveillance video.
If you have any information on this incident, please call police.
