Surveillance photo
A would-be patron of a Crescentville after-hours club didn’t take it too well when a doorman turned him away in the pre-dawn hours on March 31. The man returned to the business with a gun and fired several rounds through the front door.
One of the shots struck the employee in the cheek, while a woman guest suffered a minor head injury during the ensuing scramble in the nightclub entryway. Police are trying to identify the shooter.
The episode began at about 3:43 a.m. when the gunman tried to enter Club Candela at 718 Adams Ave. Video surveillance from outside the property shows several women entering the front door, followed by the alleged shooter. The doorman appeared to admit the women, but not the man, prompting him to walk down the block.
A short time later, the same man returned, pointed a handgun at the glass door and fired four shots into the nightclub. Two other men were standing outside the door at the time, but backed away as the gunman began shooting. Another surveillance camera was positioned inside the business and aimed at the door. That video shows the gunman firing shots, the doorman crouching behind an ATM for cover and patrons fleeing into the bustling nightclub.
The shooter fled eastbound on Adams Avenue. He was described as white or Hispanic, 5 feet 8 inches to 5 feet 10 inches tall and 200 pounds. He wore a white baseball cap, a blue hooded sweatshirt with “1989” on the front, a white shirt with dark horizontal stripes, blue jeans and blue sneakers.
The wounded doorman, 30, was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center in serious condition. The injured woman, 29, also sought treatment at Einstein, police said.
Visit the Philadelphia Police channel on YouTube.com to view the surveillance video. Call 215–686-TIPS or text to PPDTIP to report information. ••