A man died after a verbal argument on a SEPTA bus spilled outside and ended with him being shot in the face and chest, Philadelphia police said.
Police officers and medics rushed to Castor Avenue, near Van Kirk Street, in the Oxford Circle in Northeast Philadelphia around 11:25 p.m. Sunday, Philadelphia Police Capt. Anthony Ginaldi said.
They found 27-year-old Sawee Kofa on the ground with gunshot wounds to his face and chest near a Route 59 SEPTA bus, police said. Medics pronounced the man dead minutes later.
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Witnesses told police that Kofa -- who was from Northeast Philadelphia -- and the suspected shooter exchanged words on the SEPTA bus. That argument then appeared to continue off the bus.
"When the victim got off the bus, the suspect immediately shot him twice," Ginaldi said.
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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SEPTA disputed that there was an altercation on the bus.
"SEPTA Transit Police are sharing video with Philadelphia Police," spokesperson Kelly Greene said. "There does not appear to be a confrontation on the bus."
Investigators said they didn't immediately know what caused the deadly altercation. Both men appeared to have gotten on the bus in the Frankford neighborhood, police said.
The shooter fled after the killing.
Police spent hours after the shooting investigating on and off the stopped Route 59 SEPTA bus.
Entering Monday, at least 51 people had been killed in Philadelphia, so far in 2024, according to police data. That's down about 30% from the same date last year and on the slowest pace since 2018.
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