A Philadelphia man who shot and killed a home invader who was pretending to be a police officer had a valid permit to carry and will not face any charges, officials announced Tuesday.
Philadelphia police say the home invasion and shooting happened on the 7200 block of Battersby Street in Mayfair just after 10 p.m. Sunday.
Police say Adriel Alverado, 36, and a second suspect, went into the home of a 25-year-old man. The two suspects were wearing masks and claimed to be police officers, investigators said. Alverado was also wearing a federal agent gold shield around his neck, according to police.
The two suspects, at least one of whom was armed, demanded money, forced the 25-year-old homeowner near the stairwell, and began to zip tie him, police said. The homeowner then used his free hand to grab a 9mm Glock handgun from his pocket and opened fire at the two suspects.
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Alverado was shot in the head, arm and chest. The second suspect fled the scene. Alverado died at a nearby hospital shortly before 10:30 p.m., according to District Attorney Larry Krasner.
Alverado, who was from North Philadelphia, had nine prior arrests, according to investigators. Police also said the second suspect may have fired at least one shot at the homeowner though the homeowner was not hurt.
The home invasion victim and his girlfriend, who was upstairs at the time, were taken in for questioning and released a short time later. Police announced Tuesday that the shooting was a justifiable homicide.
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Police continue to search for the second suspect but have not yet released a description. They don't believe Alverado or the second suspect knew the homeowner. They also recovered the suspect's weapon.
Neighbors say their block is usually a peaceful part of Mayfair, and what happened Sunday night speaks to the rising gun violence in the city.
"It's not something that happens here, "Jonathan Inman, the victim's next door neighbor, said. "There's always kids playing."
For some neighbors NBC10's Karen Hua spoke to, they say the uptick in crime is becoming too much.
"We're going to get out of the city because it's just getting a little too crazy -- the gun violence -- it's scary. A kid coming home from work, someone following you in trying to rob you," said another neighbor.
According to police homicide records, at least 141 people have been killed so far this year in Philadelphia.
