Man shot, killed in Oxford Circle after an argument on a SEPTA bus, police say

A 27-year-old man was shot and killed after an argument broke out on a SEPTA bus in Oxford Circle late Sunday night, according to Philadelphia police.

Officers arrived at the scene around 11:30 p.m., police said, after having received several calls about a shooting outside the Burger King at Castor Avenue and Van Kirk Street. There, police found Sawee Kofa lying on the ground with gunshot wounds to his face and chest. Kofa, who lived in Lawndale, was pronounced dead on the scene.

Police said they believe the shooting was precipitated by a dispute between Kofa and the suspect on a Route 59 bus. Kofa and the suspect had gotten off the bus at the stop at Castor Avenue and Comly Street — about a block away from the shooting — minutes before, SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch confirmed.

“Our victim got off and the suspect came out right behind him,” Philadelphia Police Capt. Anthony Ginaldi told reporters. “There was an exchange of words out there as well.”

Ginaldi said the suspect pulled out a handgun as the pair were getting off the bus, shooting Kofa at least twice. The suspect fled after firing, police said. A description of the suspect has not been released.

SEPTA has turned over surveillance video from the bus, Busch said, but “there isn’t much on there.” The video did not pick up audio.

“As far as we can tell, there was nothing physical,” said Busch.

Fifty-one people have been killed in Philadelphia to date in 2024, according to data from the Philadelphia Police Department, down 30% from this time last year.

So far this year, there have been a slew of violent incidents, including homicides, on the public transit system.

Police arrested 33-year-old Jason Howard in January, after he stabbed another man in the back during a confrontation on the platform of the Market-Frankford Line’s 15th Street Station.

The incident happened a week after authorities said teen shooters opened fire into a crowd, hitting 16-year-old Tyshaun Welles in the head. Welles later died, and two teenagers were charged with his murder.

And late last month, a 20-year-old was shot on a Broad Street Line northbound subway train that had just left the Hunting Park Station. And hours later, a man wielding a hatchet attacked another rider on the subway concourse near the SEPTA station at Eighth and Market Streets, police said.

There were two homicides and six aggravated assaults reported on SEPTA in January, according to the most recent agency data available. By contrast, in January of last year, there were no homicides and 10 aggravated assaults on SEPTA, the data showed.

Last year, six people were killed on SEPTA, according to agency data. The transit system reported 108 aggravated assaults, down from 111 the year before.

Staff writer Rodrigo Torrejón contributed to this article.