A late Sunday night shooting in Northeast Philadelphia left one man dead and a young woman wounded after gunfire erupted around a parked tow truck, prompting an active homicide investigation by Philadelphia police.
The shooting occurred at approximately 7:52 p.m. Sunday on the 2100 block of Knorr Street near Bustleton Avenue. Police said officers were dispatched to the area following reports of a person with a gun and shots fired. When officers arrived, they found a 25-year-old man inside a tow truck suffering from multiple gunshot wounds to his head and body.
The victim was identified as Aaron Whitfield Jr., 25, of the 6400 block of Clearview Street. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene at about 8 p.m. The tow truck was parked outside a smoke shop at the time of the shooting, and investigators confirmed there was no vehicle attached to the truck.
A second victim, a 21-year-old woman identified by Whitfield’s family as his girlfriend, was also shot during the incident. Police said she arrived on her own at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital with a gunshot wound to her left leg. She was initially reported in critical condition and later listed as stable. Whitfield’s parents said she suffered extensive gunshot wounds to her leg and remains hospitalized.
Investigators believe Whitfield and his girlfriend had been stopped at the location for only a few minutes and were about to enter the smoke shop when the shooting occurred. According to police, a gray or silver Honda pulled up alongside the tow truck, and two people inside the vehicle opened fire into the truck before fleeing the area at high speed.
Surveillance video reviewed by investigators shows the suspect vehicle slowing near the tow truck moments before the gunfire and then speeding away immediately afterward. Police said between 15 and 20 spent shell casings were recovered from the scene, indicating the volume of shots fired.
Several nearby businesses were struck by gunfire, and police said some bullets entered the second floor of a neighboring building, which houses an Asian senior center on the second floor. The owners told investigators that at least 16 people were inside the center at the time of the shooting, and no one inside was injured.
Inspector D.F. Pace said investigators believe one or both of the victims may have been targeted. Police have not identified a motive and have not said what prompted the shooting. No arrests have been made, and authorities confirmed that both suspects remain at large.
The tow truck involved in the shooting was marked for 448 Towing and Recovery. Messages left for the company were not returned.
The shooting adds to recent violence involving tow truck drivers in Philadelphia. Police said that three weeks earlier, a person inside another tow truck was shot and wounded about three miles away. In a separate incident, a 20-year-old tow truck driver was shot by another driver in the city’s Frankford neighborhood on December 22 and later died from his injuries on December 26. Police said there is currently no definitive evidence linking any of the incidents.
Police are continuing to collect surveillance footage from the area and are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-8477.
