A Philly tenant was shot during an eviction for the second time in months

A tenant was shot Tuesday during an eviction by a contractor working for Philadelphia’s landlord-tenant officer — the third time in four months that a shooting occurred during an eviction-related action.

A police report said a 33-year-old woman was shot one time in her right leg during an eviction at the Grace Townhomes on the 2200 block of East Auburn Street, in Kensington. She was taken to Temple University Hospital, where she was placed in stable condition, while a man was taken into custody and a firearm was recovered from the scene.

A police spokesperson confirmed that the city’s court-appointed landlord-tenant officer was handling the eviction.

Unlike other cities, Philadelphia courts appoint a private attorney, known as a landlord-tenant officer, to handle many lockouts. This lawyer, Marisa Shuter, in turn hires security contractors who are deputized by the courts to perform eviction services, in exchange for the right to collect millions in related fees from landlords.

A lawyer for Shuter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office — which charges a higher fee than the landlord-tenant officer — performs only a fraction of the city’s evictions. A spokesperson confirmed that no sheriff’s deputies were involved in the Tuesday eviction.)

» READ MORE: Explaining deputy landlord-tenant officers, who carry out evictions in Philly

The Grace Townhomes were built by the not-for-profit Women’s Community Revitalization Project as a rent-to-own development supported by affordable-housing vouchers.

Court records show several landlord-tenant disputes filed against tenants at the complex this year — including one in January over about $3,700 in unpaid rent for the unit where the Tuesday shooting took place.

Nora Lichtash, director of Women’s Community Revitalization Project, said the agency had unsuccessfully attempted to work with the family in that unit throughout the pandemic to address non-payment of rent.

“We lease to very low-income families. Because of that, sometimes families have trouble paying their rent. And, sometimes, families have to be evicted,” she said. “We spend a lot of time making sure our tenants are sustainably housed. ... But if they’re not able to live up to the terms of a lease, that affects other tenants.”

A formal eviction notice was served in May, court records show.

During the Tuesday incident, a staffer who was on hand during the eviction was allegedly assaulted by a tenant, according to Lichtash.

“It is my understanding that a staff person who works for our property management firm was also hurt and had to go to the emergency room,” she said.

Police could not immediately corroborate that account.

Still, Tuesday’s shooting in Kensington will likely amplify scrutiny on the opaque office.

A deputy landlord tenant officer in March shot 35-year-old Angel Davis in the head during a lockout in North Philadelphia, sparking a protest from housing advocates and calls for reform by lawmakers. Last month, another deputy landlord-tenant officer shot at — but did not injure — a dog during a lockout attempt.

Unlike traditional law enforcement agencies, the landlord-tenant officer operates with little oversight and names of its employees are not public — nor is it required to disclose the identity of people involved in shootings. The cases have led to lawsuits, and legislation that seeks to prohibit eviction service by for-profit entities.

The recent eviction-related shootings have also highlighted how few people — even in the law enforcement world — can discern between these court-appointed deputies, a sheriff, or a city police officer.

One witness, who declined to be identified outside Tuesday’s shooting, said the officer who shot the woman was dressed in black and wore an official-looking badge.

“Looked like a cop,” the witness said.