Suspect shot dead during home-invasion robbery in South Philadelphia
It was the second shooting in the city this week that left a suspected robber dead.
One of two men who forced their way into a South Philadelphia rowhouse during a home-invasion robbery Wednesday night was fatally shot by a resident during a struggle for the robber’s gun, police said Thursday.
The 22-year-old man who lives in the house on the 2200 block of South Darien Street suffered graze wounds to his head and left ear when the second intruder fired his weapon at the resident before fleeing, police said.
Police believe the home was targeted because of narcotics inside, Homicide Capt. Jason Smith said at a news conference Thursday at Police Headquarters. Police recovered marijuana-infused edible gummy bears and 265 grams of marijuana inside the home, he said.
The resident, whom police did not identify, is not expected to face homicide charges but could face narcotics charges, said Smith. He was taken by police to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in stable condition.
Police identified the man who was killed as James Jones, 27, of the 900 block of South Fifth Street in Queen Village. He was pronounced dead by medics at the scene after being shot in the stomach and several times in the lower part of his body, Smith said.
Jones had six prior arrests for charges including aggravated assault, simple assault, robbery, illegal gun possession, and drug offenses, Smith said.
Police recovered 11 fired .40-caliber cartridge casings from the living-room area, and a .40-caliber handgun believed to have been Jones’ gun also was recovered from the house, Smith said. The gun had been reported stolen from North Carolina in 2014, he said.
Jones’ alleged accomplice, who was also armed, fled and remained at large Thursday, Smith said. It was not known if he was wounded during the gunfire, Smith said.
The resident had been in an upstairs bedroom expecting a visitor about 11 p.m. Wednesday when he heard a knock at the front door, Smith said. After he unlocked the door, the two would-be robbers forced their way in.
After a struggle, the resident gained control of Jones’ gun and fired several times, Smith said.
He said police do not believe the resident knew the intruders, neither of whom was the visitor expected by the resident. Two other adults were upstairs at the time, Smith said.
It was the second shooting in the city this week that left a suspected robber dead. Early Monday, one intruder was killed and a second wounded during a home-invasion robbery in Mayfair. A police spokesperson, Capt. Sekou Kinebrew, in an email Thursday, identified the fatal shooting victim as Houdalis Torres, 23, of the 1100 block of Overington Street in Frankford.
Torres’ alleged accomplice, Elvin Laureano-Ubiera, 24, of the 5400 block of Akron Street, Frankford, had fled the house and was taken by private vehicle to Nazareth Hospital, police said. He was in stable condition with gunshot wounds to his left arm.
On Friday, police announced that Laureano-Ubiera had been charged with murder, robbery, and related counts for allegedly helping to initiate the crime that led to the fatal shooting.
Smith said police have determined that the Mayfair home invasion was also narcotics-related, with the two intruders apparently looking to steal drugs. As in the South Philadelphia case, the shooter in the Mayfair case is not expected to face homicide charges, police said.
Justified killings are not counted as homicides in police statistics.
Separately, police said that a man who was shot several times in his neck and chest on the 5400 block of Race Street in West Philadelphia about 11:50 a.m. Thursday was pronounced dead a half-hour later at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. He was identified by police Friday as William Johnson, 23, of the 400 block of North Hobart Street in West Philadelphia. No arrest was reported.
Meanwhile, a 31-year-old man was pronounced dead at 4:30 a.m. Thursday at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital after he was shot in the abdomen shortly before 11 p.m. Wednesday on the 7200 block of Bradford Street in the Castor Gardens section of Northeast Philadelphia, police said. He was identified by police Friday as Syambabu Thankappan, a resident of that block.
Police on Friday said that two men, Prince Kunjappan-Joy, 34, of the 10000 block of James Street in Torresdale and Abraham Thomas, 51, of Country Lane Drive in Bustleton were arrested Thursday and charged Friday with murder, conspiracy, and gun offenses. The motive for the shooting appeared to be an argument, police said.