One dead, one arrested in East Mount Airy triple shooting

A man was in police custody Monday after a triple shooting that left one man dead and two wounded in East Mount Airy.

Initial reports said the men were watching the Eagles' Sunday night football game on TV when an argument erupted. Police could not confirm that immediately. They said a suspect was in custody by Monday afternoon but had not yet been charged.

Officers were called to the 8300 block of Gilbert Street at 12:04 a.m. Monday after an argument led to gunfire in a one-car garage that had been turned into a TV room, officials said.

One victim, 51, was found unresponsive on the floor. Medics pronounced him dead at the scene at 12:22 a.m. His name was not immediately released.

The two wounded men were taken to Einstein Medical Center. One, a 51-year-old man who was shot in his stomach, was listed in critical condition. The other, a 58-year-old who suffered gunshot wounds to his shoulder and thigh, was stable condition, police said.

A 51-year-old man who had been in the garage with the three victims was arrested Monday. His name, too, was not immediately released.

Neighbors on the quiet block of two-story brick rowhouses expressed surprise. "I've lived here for 40 years," said a man who did not want to be identified. "This is the first time I remember anything like that happening."

Police said an argument was believed to have been the motive for the shooting, but it was not known what that disagreement was about.

dpurcell@phillynews.com

215-854-4915 @dylancpurcell