Philadelphia

Man Shot to Death in Parking Lot of Philadelphia Shopping Plaza, Police Say

The 23-year-old Massachusetts man was shot once in the left torso while in a car in the back of the shopping plaza along the 6200 block of Bustleton Avenue on Wednesday afternoon

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An investigation is underway after a Massachusetts man was shot to death while in the parking lot of a Northeast Philadelphia shopping plaza, police said. 

James Cundiff was shot in the chest and shoulder while in a car in the back of the shopping center along the 6200 block of Bustleton Avenue on Wednesday at 4:55 p.m., Philadelphia police said.

The owner of a business at the plaza said he heard a gunshot.

"I hear some like, breaks. Like someone hit breaks. Like a car suddenly stopped. That's all," the owner, who did not reveal his full name, told NBC10. "Here, I never see anything like that. We never experienced anything bad in this plaza."

Cundiff, 23, was driven to a nearby hospital where the New Bedford, Massachusetts, resident was pronounced dead later that evening, police said.

No weapons were recovered, no arrests were immediately made and police did not release details on any possible suspects. 

Police said an unidentified woman witnessed the shooting but they did not reveal any additional details. They continued to investigate Thursday.

As of the end of Wednesday, there were 139 reported homicides in Philadelphia in 2023, down 13% from the same time last year.

Despite the overall drop in homicides, one man who lives near where the shooting took place said he doesn't feel any safer.

"We really have to tighten up these gun laws," the man, who did not reveal his full name, told NBC10. "We can talk about banning books. I'm just saying. I'm not taking shots at people. We can talk about transgender. I'm not taking shots. We can talk about all the things that can be so simplified. But we cannot get to an agreement on guns. That's stupid."

There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.

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