Victim killed with punch in South Philly dog-walking dispute identified

Philadelphia police have not yet made an arrest in the case of a South Philly 38-year-old man who died after a single punch from another man in a dispute that arose over an unleashed dog in the park.

Drew Justice, 38, of the 1200 block of South Sheridan Street, was pronounced dead at 9:51 p.m. on Jan. 5th after being punched a single time, falling back and cracking his skull – in a dispute parked over a dog being walked without a leash.

Police had not made an arrest as of press-time Monday and the investigation was active and ongoing.

Justice was reportedly in Gold Star Park near 6th and Wharton streets in South Philly around 9:12 p.m. walking the dog with his fiancee when they encountered another man with a dog off-leash in the park, 6ABC reported.

Justice reportedly asked the man to put his dog on a leash, witnesses told 6ABC, which is legally required in city parks. In response, the other man allegedly slugged him in the face – knocking him back to the ground where he struck his head. Despite other park-goers attempting CPR, Justice succumbed to his injuries within half an hour after arriving at Jefferson Hospital. The entire ordeal was reportedly witnessed by his fiancee, who was walking the dog with him.

Police told 6ABC they have surveillance video of the incident and they expect to make an arrest soon, but no information was available about the alleged puncher.

A person of interest is in custody according to Philly.com, but no further details about that individual were made available.