A teenager connected to a deadly break-in and shooting at a South Philadelphia gun shop has been charged with burglary.
Khaleef Brown, 17, is also charged with felony robbery, conspiracy and related charges after he and a group of three others tried to rob the Firing Line Inc. shop, which resulted in the shop owner shooting and killing one of the men, District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office said.
“The facts we know and the law are clear that the business owner’s use of force while inside his own property against a burglar accompanied by others who was entering with a gun in his hand was justified. It is fortunate for the City of Philadelphia that this large cache of guns and ammunitions were not taken and sold on the street,” Kransner said in a statement.
The owner told police he was monitoring his surveillance camera and saw three or four men trying to get in around 4:15 a.m. The group was using bolt cutters on the gate. A broken lock could later be seen on the ground.
The group then smashed in the back door and broke glass, police said. When they made it upstairs, the 67-year-old owner started shooting his Bushmaster M-4 rifle, striking a 29-year-old man in the head and instantly killing him, police said. That 29-year-old had a gun in his hand at the time, Kraner said.
Brown was struck in the shoulder and later lied to police at the hospital about how he was hurt, the district attorney said.
The two other men involved managed to run off. Authorities continue to investigate the case.
