Philly Police Say This Would-Be Assassin Was Caught on Camera
Plus, why the Inquirer should be nervous about its new cheesesteak list.
SEPTA bus surveillance photos of a man police say followed another man out of the bus and then shot him (images via Philadelphia Police Department)
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Philly Police Say This Would-Be Assassin Was Caught On Camera
A SEPTA bus ride last week ended violently for a 27-year-old man, who was shot multiple times by a masked man after walking out of the bus. But it seems that the suspect in the shooting was unaware that there are multiple surveillance cameras on SEPTA buses.
Police say the man in these images boarded a SEPTA bus on April 23rd without wearing a mask. As you can see on the surveillance video below, he later puts on a black balaclava. After that, allege police, he followed the 27-year-old man off of the bus onto the 3900 block of M Street in the Juniata section of Philadelphia and then fired multiple shots into the victim, leaving him in critical condition.
Police describe the suspect as follows: “Black male, thin build, long dreadlocks, black balaclava face mask, black hooded sweatshirt with large skull logo on chest, black sweatpants, black ‘Nike’ shoes with a white swoosh logo, and a black backpack.”
Police are asking anyone with information to call the Shooting Investigations Group at 215-686-8271 or the confidential tip line at 215-686-TIPS.
“This Story Is Just Bizarre”
That’s how 6ABC reporter Walter Perez introduced a story about a man found living in an elaborate setup inside the Green Lane Bridge in Manayunk, a man who is now charged with murder. Bizarre it is, Walter!
All the Cheesesteak News You Can Use
A month after we released our huge Cheesesteak 2.0 package, Inquirer restaurant critic Craig LaBan and other Inquirer staffers have released their guide to “The Philly Cheesesteaks We Genuinely Want to Eat.” (Our own restaurant critic respectfully disagrees with the Inquirer on the new place at the Reading Terminal.) No word on Joey Merlino’s reaction to being left out of the Inquirer list for Skinny Joey’s, which hadn’t opened in time for us to consider it for our piece. I swear, Joey!
There’s just something about cheesesteaks that invites controversy. And controversy we have thanks to Philly judge Scott DiClaudio who is in a greasy mess because he used his position of authority to promote his wife’s cheesesteak shop. Notably, the Inquirer did include that shop, so the writers can rest easy if they ever find themselves before said judge. I’m kidding, of course! Sort of…
Finally, the people behind a viral cheesesteak spot in Japan have landed in Philly. And you can see what all the fuss is about at some upcoming pop-ups.
By the Numbers
10.5 percent: Decline in non-United States citizens coming into Philadelphia International Airport since January 1st. That’s not good! Could this have anything to do with the rise in anti-American sentiment thanks to you know who?
10,000: Number of volunteer “Phambassadors” Philly tourism officials are trying to sign up to help with visitors traveling to Philly for the nation’s 250th birthday next year. That’s all well and good. But the whole sticking-“Ph”-on-the-front-of-words is so 2003. It’s kind of like when we starting suffixing everything with “-palooza” when Lollapalooza was a big deal.
$7.25: Yep, that’s still the minimum wage in Pennsylvania, even though the minimum wage in all of the states that border us is higher, sometimes as high as $15. Mayor Parker joined a protest on the subject this week, but it’s an uphill battle.
Local Talent
Today, the Philadelphia Music Alliance inducts seven Philly musicians and organizations into the Philly Music Walk of Fame. Among them, this local grand-daddy of gangsta rap. For the complete list of inductees, see here.
