Was Shooting at Danny’s Midnight Confessions a Hate Crime?

The victim of the early morning July 18th shooting at Danny’s Midnight Confessions — the well-known adult shop on 13th Street in the Philadelphia Gayborhood — has gone public, claiming that the alleged gunman targeted him due to his sexuality.

In an interview that 31 year-old shooting victim Kevyn Mines gave Metro, he claims that the gunman said that he was “not with that gay s—’ and then walked out.” The article then goes on to say that Mines is “frustrated” that “no one has tried to call it a hate crime. … The news keeps trying to act like it was an armed robbery when no money was attempted to be stolen at gunpoint.”

I spoke with Officer Christine O’Brien from the Philadelphia Police Department about the case who informed me that, at this time, there “does not appear that there is anything to be charged as a hate crime.” She suggested that once the case is fully reviewed, if there is sufficient evidence to call the shooting a hate crime, the D.A. would press charges accordingly.

“There could always be something that changes,” O’Brien explained. “They are still conducting interviews. It’s just at this time, there’s nothing leaning toward [calling it a hate crime]. It’s all going to depend on the circumstances.”

She added that “someone could say something derogatory toward you about an item, but it may not be directed at you.”