Robert McKee: South Philadelphia shooting victim was once a rising basketball star

Police are investigating the shooting of a man in the Hawthorne section of South Philadelphia early this morning morning.

Robert McKee, 24, was shot once in the head on the 600 block of 12th Street, around the corner from his home on the 1200 block of Bainbridge Street, shortly before 6 a.m. He died on the scene. Investigators said that, though McKee was known to police, a motive has not yet been determined and no arrests have been made.

According to a 2006 article in the South Philly Review, McKee relocated from Glen Mills about eight years ago to escape a troubled adolescence. He moved in with his grandmother and older brother and began playing basketball at South Philadelphia High School, where he was nicknamed “Elevator Man” for his dunking ability.

“He has so much heart, which is something the team has been a little weak in,” Coach George Anderson told the paper at the time. “This kid refuses to give up and refuses to let any of the other guys give up.”