For the second time in as many months, spontaneous gunfire near a Tacony intersection on Friday left an innocent neighborhood resident in the hospital, nursing a bullet wound. Several stray slugs from the same shooting struck the district office of City Councilman Bobby Henon.
The gunfire occurred at about 7:42 a.m. Friday on the 6700 block of Torresdale Ave. An 18-year-old man suffered a single wound of the left ankle, which caused a compound fracture of the joint, police said. Paramedics took him to Aria Health-Torresdale in stable condition.
The victim told police that he arrived home that morning to find another man allegedly selling drugs outside his front door. The resident told the suspected pusher to get lost.
Instead, the two argued. Eventually, the drug dealer left the area, only to return to the house, point a gun at the resident and shoot him, police said. The gunman ran away and was described only as a 5-foot, 10-inch black man.
In a printed statement that afternoon, Henon said that five bullets struck his office, though no one was injured.
“I am grateful for the quick response from the 15th Police District and am confident they will find the person responsible,” Henon said. “However, the ongoing work of keeping our streets, homes and businesses safe belongs to all of us. I urge anyone with information as to this person’s whereabouts to contact the 15th Police District immediately.”
Just last month, a 9-year-old boy suffered a graze wound of the head during a drive-by shooting several hundred feet from the entrance to Henon’s office. The youngster and his mom had just left the Tacony Branch Library at Torresdale Avenue and Knorr Street and were walking on the 4700 block of Knorr when someone in a passing car fired gunshots. One of the slugs scraped the boy’s scalp, police said. He was treated at Children’s Hospital. Police have announced no arrests.
At least two more unrelated shootings occurred in the Northeast on Saturday.
At about 12:55 a.m., a 31-year-old man arrived at Jeanes Hospital with a wounded right shoulder. He told police that he was walking his dog on the 1100 block of Morefield Road in Bustleton when two men in a black Acura RL stopped on the side of the road, exited the car and tried to rob him at gunpoint. When the victim tried to knock the gun from one robber’s hand, the weapon fired. He ran to his nearby home, before a family member took him to the hospital.
The robbers were described as two black men, 25 to 30 years old and between 6 feet and 6 feet, 2 inches tall.
At about 9:37 p.m., a 33-year-old man suffered gunshot wounds to each leg during an apparent robbery attempt on the 4700 block of Leiper St. in Frankford. The victim told police that he was walking when two unknown men followed him onto a porch, where one of the suspects pointed a gun at him and demanded his money. The victim tried to flee, but the robber shot him. The victim was taken to Temple University Hospital in stable condition.
The gunman was described as black, 6 feet tall, with a brown complexion, full beard, stocky build, blue jeans and black hoodie. The other suspect was described as black, 5 feet, 9 inches tall, with a brown complexion and red or burgundy hoodie.
Call 215–686–3153 to report information about any of these cases. ••
