Philadelphia police may have captured the gunman who murdered three other men execution-style inside a house on the 4600 block of Vista St. on Jan. 10, although the department’s information office has not officially confirmed an arrest.
Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Holmesburg Civic Association on Jan. 13 at Holmesburg Recreation Center, Capt. John McCloskey of the 15th district reported that officers had arrested a man near Frankford Avenue and Pratt Street who was involved in the slayings. McCloskey did not specify the date of the arrest. The police commander said that the suspected motive was a dispute over drugs.
McCloskey added that the district had not received any prior complaints about the house as a nuisance property, although neighbors told news reporters in the aftermath of the shooting that a group of young men lived there and often hosted loud late-night parties.
On Tuesday, a police department spokeswoman told the Northeast Times that no arrests had been made in the triple-murder investigation.
The two-story rowhouse is on the corner of Vista and Ditman streets, one block west of Torresdale Avenue. The victims had all been shot in the head. They were identified as Jason Stratos, 40, of Bristol; Sarith Mang, 30, of the 5000 block of N. 12th St.; and Ramon Ortiz, 40, who lived in the Vista Street house. ••
