No charges will be filed in fatal Society Hill Towers shooting because resident acted in self-defense, police say
Police said the shooting was in self-defense after a guest threatened a homeowner at the West Tower.
![A view of the West building of Society Hill Towers, where a shooting took place last month.](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/5ahv5UdjwNVcnbPsi05AT-Dhnm0=/760x507/smart/filters:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/pmn/6BKZLMXO3BDSTM76F2T6TCQYN4.jpg)
The shooting that left a man dead in the 24th-floor hallway of Society Hill Towers last month was in self-defense, authorities said Friday, and the resident who fired the fatal shots will not be charged.
Police said a homeowner in the West Tower of the complex shot Omar Littlejohn multiple times, killing him, after Littlejohn threatened him with a knife. Littlejohn, 31, of Kensington, was a guest of the man who shot him after a confrontation in the hallway of the building, police said.
Around 8:15 p.m. on Jan. 21, officers responding to reports of gunfire arrived at the complex on the 200 block of Locust Street and found Littlejohn suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after.
Police recovered a gun from inside the apartment and took the resident into custody. The homeowner, whom police did not identify, told investigators he fired the shots to protect himself after Littlejohn threatened him with a knife.
It was unclear how the two knew each other and what gave rise to the argument that led to the shooting.
The gunfire shook residents of the three-tower complex of luxury apartments and condominiums set on five acres.
Society Hill Towers general manager Brett Scioli declined to comment on the incident or identify the homeowner. In a statement, he thanked Philadelphia police and the District Attorney’s Office for their “swift response” and “diligence” in investigating the matter.