Philadelphia

Gunman Shoots Man 10 Times at Close Range in Execution-Style Hunting Park Killing

Several questions remained Thursday around the execution of a man on the steps of a rowhouse in Philadelphia's Hunting Park neighborhood Wednesday night, but police say they know one thing: Whoever shot the man wanted him dead.

Police raced to Franklin Street near Hunting Park Avenue just before 10 p.m. and found the victim shot several times, slumped over on the front steps of a home on the block, according to Chief Inspector Scott Small.

Small said whoever shot the man, who remained unidentified early Thursday, meant to do it and made sure he was dead: The gunman unloaded 10 bullets at the man at point-blank range, wounding him numerous times in the head and torso. He died there almost instantly, and medics officially declared him dead at 10:01 p.m., Small said.

"Based on ballistic evidence, we know at least 10 shots were fired ... from a very close range," Small said. "There are 10 shell casings on the sidewalk, some inches, some feet from the victim's body, which is an indicator the shooter fired from very close proximity."

Small said based on that, police believe the victim was the intended target of the shooting. But they haven't yet figured out why, or who the victim is. People in the neighborhood said they don't know or recognize the man, and although he appeared to be in his mid-20s, his identity remained a mystery Thursday morning as detectives began to canvas the area for surveillance video.

Some witnesses did report seeing two men -- one of whom wore a dark-colored hooded sweatshirt and the other of whom carried a red or light-colored hooded sweatshirt -- fleeing from the scene at the time of the shooting.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334.

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