Passenger Found Shot Dead in Crashed Car on Philly's Roosevelt Boulevard

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A man was found shot dead in a crashed car along Philadelphia's Roosevelt Boulevard early Tuesday morning and investigators said the shooting took place elsewhere.

Paramedics and firefighters rushed to the center median of the Boulevard near North 9th Street just before 2 a.m. for a report of a crash, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

They found a man in his late 20s dead inside the passenger seat of a Dodge sedan that had struck two traffic light poles, Small said. A bullet hole could be seen in the rear passenger side window.

The man had been shot in the left side of his head, Small said.

Philadelphia police were called in to investigate the deadly shooting.

Investigators found evidence that shot had been fired about two blocks away at 9th Street and Hunting Park Avenue in the Hunting Park neighborhood, Small said.

At least one witness said they hear gunshots and saw the car going in reverse along 9th Street toward U.S. Route 1.

"So it appears that the vehicle went north on 9th Street, crossed over several northbound lanes and came to rest on the median after striking two traffic light signs," Small said.

The driver -- who is from New Jersey -- wasn't shot, but suffered cuts to his hands trying to escape the wreckage, Small said.

Investigators didn't immediately know if the car or the deceased passenger were the intended target or if they were struck by stray gunfire, Small told reporters.

Police hoped that surveillance cameras could help them figure out the circumstances of the shooting.

NBC10 obtained surveillance video that showed a white sedan speeding off from the shooting scene.

This shooting came on the heels of the second-deadliest year on record in Philadelphia as 516 homicides were reported in Philadelphia in 2022, according to police data.