An 18-year-old tried to intervene in a domestic assault and he was shot and killed by the abuser, police said

An 18-year-old just weeks away from graduating high school was shot and killed this week after police say he attempted to intervene in a domestic assault involving one of his friends, and her boyfriend pulled a gun.

A woman was being assaulted by her boyfriend around 10 p.m. Tuesday at their Roxborough home when she called family for help, said Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom, head of the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit.

The woman’s sisters and their family friend, Elijah Deloach, drove to the apartment, on the 7900 block of Henry Avenue, hoping to intervene, Ransom said. But as soon as Deloach walked through the door, the woman’s boyfriend, 23-year-old Kione Gary, pulled a gun and shot the teen in the chest, Ransom said.

Deloach was rushed to Roxborough Hospital, but his injuries were severe. He died shortly after midnight.

Shortly after the shooting, Gary fled the scene, jumping from a fourth-story balcony, Ransom said. He was arrested Thursday and charged with murder and related crimes in the death of Deloach, as well as aggravated assault and strangulation for the attack on his girlfriend, Ransom said.

Deloach was a “loving, protective, brave kid” who always stood by the people close to him, said his father, Renell Deloach.

His son was a senior at Cheltenham High School, he said, and was weeks away from graduating. School had never been the teen’s strong suit, Renell Deloach said, but he worked diligently through his senior year to ensure that he would earn his diploma.

“He was so proud of that,” the father said.

The oldest of two children, Deloach was born in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia, he said, and the family moved to Elkins Park when he was 10, seeking a quieter, safer life outside of the city. Renell Deloach knew all too well the impact of gun violence — his twin brother was shot in the head about 24 years ago, he said, and while his sibling survived, he lives with some lingering physical effects including epilepsy.

“We were looking forward to not having to worry about this,” he said. “We wanted to keep him safe.”

Deloach played football for the Abington Raiders as a child, but into his teen years, he mostly enjoyed playing outside with friends and working with his father’s landscaping company. He was quietly funny amid a close group of friends, his dad said, and was loyal to the people he cared about.

“He went to that apartment because he wanted to protect,” Renell Deloach said. “He got hit trying to help somebody.”

Gary has no previous arrests in Philadelphia and he owned the gun he used in the shooting legally, Ransom said.

The woman he assaulted had reported assaults involving Gary twice before, Ransom said, but Gary was not charged. The first was in Salisbury County, N.C., in March 2022, Ransom said, and then later that year, in September, the woman reported that Gary choked her and punched her in the face in Philadelphia.

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It was not immediately clear why Gary was not charged in connection with those incidents. However, it’s not uncommon for victims of domestic violence to decline to press charges against their abusers, as navigating the criminal justice system is often traumatic, difficult, and can escalate abuse, experts have said.

A recent study through researchers at the University of Pennsylvania analyzing Philadelphia court records found that in domestic violence-related cases, 70% of victims failed to appear in court, indicating that the justice system is often not the avenue survivors prefer when seeking help and support.

Deloach is one of 101 people to die in homicides so far this year — a nearly 40% drop compared to last year, and the lowest annual total since 2016. Still, every homicide and shooting in the city creates a ripple effect, experts say, and has a lasting impact on victims’ families and the surrounding community.