Police believe a father that was killed following a shooting that led to a crash in North Philadelphia late last Thursday morning was due to road rage.
Desmond Edwards, 37, was inside a Lexus SUV that was traveling along the 5000 block of Ogontz Avenue on January 4 at 11:17 a.m. when shots were fired.
Edwards was shot in the head and his vehicle crashed into a corner store at 18th and Belfield Ave., police said. Edwards was taken by responding police officers to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 11:27 a.m.
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"What are you trying to get to that fast that you can’t stop… somebody life means nothing because they’re in your way?" Virneal Edwards, the victim's wife, told NBC10's Frances Wang.
Police believe Edwards was shot by someone firing from the passenger side of an older model tan or brown van.
Road rage has not been confirmed, but that what it appears to be at this point, according to law enforcement.
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Edwards wife says he was a father of four and was a family man. He was fixing up his daughter's bedroom last Thursday when he decided to take a quick coffee break.
The victim was in his car about a block away from his home when someone shot him in the head causing his car to crash into a corner store.
After reviewing video, investigators believe the shooting occurred on Ogontz Ave. near the turning lane.
The driver of the van fled eastbound towards Broad St. and remains unrecovered. Police say they do not have any further information about the van's occupants and there were no reported prior altercations.
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Edwards was supposed to celebrate his 38 birthday this Tuesday and the family was set to take a trip together. It would have been the first time he would have been on a plane since coming to Philadelphia from Jamaica two decades ago.
"I wanted to go with him I wish I could go with him...but at the moment I know the way he loved his kids, I gotta gather the strength," Virneal said.
She spent Wednesday gathering balloons and candles for a vigil to honor her husband. She asks everyone to pray for her husband's killer to be found and for her to carry on without him.
"What am I supposed to do without him?" Virneal said.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
No arrests have been made and no weapons have been recovered at this time.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
