A grandfather returning home from a night of bowling was shot in the face as he walked in the door of his West Philadelphia home.
The 56-year-old victim, identified by family as Jerome Cabell, was shot moments after being dropped off in front of his home on S. Cecil Street in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood before 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"He walked into the front door… and while standing in his living room someone fired three shots through the front living room window,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
"I heard his wife yell 'He’s been shot, he’s on the floor,'" neighbor Brenda Williams said.
"It was like boom, boom," neighbor Jesse Butler said. "The cops were here in probably one to two minutes."
Officers arrived to find the victim on his living room floor bleeding from a gunshot wound to his face, Small said. Cabell, an avid bowler according to neighbors, lay next to his bowling ball.
Cabell was rushed to the hospital where he underwent surgery overnight. He was in stable condition as of Thursday night, family said.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
The victim’s wife and their 5-year-old and 9-year-old grandchildren were on the second floor of the home at the time, investigators said. They were not injured.
The shooter was last spotted driving down Cecil Street in a dark-colored truck. Police hope surveillance video from the block will lead them to the shooter.
Investigators believe the victim was targeted but it wasn't clear why.
Neighbors were shocked by the violent act on a man who often shared his love for bowling with the community.
"He’s a painter, he’s an artist and he loves to bowl," Butler said. "He even takes my kids bowling."
