What to Know
- Philadelphia police say a man died after being shot following a fender bender on the Roosevelt Boulevard Extension in Philadelphia's East Falls neighborhood Thursday night.
- Eddie Rodriguez was riding as a passenger in his brother's car when they were struck, pulled over and then one of four masked men in the other car opened fire, police say.
- Investigators urged anyone with dashcam video or who might have witnessed the killing to contact them.
A man was shot and killed while riding with his brother in an apparent road rage incident after a fender bender along Philadelphia's busy Roosevelt Boulevard Extension.
"It appears to be road rage that escalated into a shooting that escalated into a homicide," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said of the Thursday night incident along Route 1 near Fox Street in the East Falls neighborhood.
Police responded to the southbound lanes of the Boulevard Extension around 6:30 p.m. to find 21-year-old Eddie Rodriguez unresponsive -- shot in the left side of his chest -- in the front passenger seat of an Acura, police said. Officers rushed Rodriguez -- who was from the Olney neighborhood -- to the hospital where he died a short time later.
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The driver told police that he was driving with his brother south when another vehicle struck the rear bumper of their car.
"The victims pulled over in order to exchange information," Small said.
At that time the other car pulled up next to them and one of the people in that car fired two shots into the other car, police said.
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The driver then drove off southbound on Route 1.
Investigating officers found evidence that two bullets were fired, including casings on the side of the road and two bullet holes in the car, Small said.
Police could only say that the shooter fired from a dark-colored car that had four masked men inside, Small said.
Route 1 is normally busy at the time that the shooting took place. Investigators urged anyone with dashcam video that may have captured the deadly shooting or saw something at the time to reach out to police.
As of Friday morning, at least 513 people have died by homicide in Philadelphia, a 12% increase from the same time last year and the deadliest year on record in the city.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
