VIDEO New details emerge in Society Hill shooting

New details have emerged about the streetfight-turned-shooting in Society Hill that left a man critical Monday night.

The victim, 46, who remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition, has begun to be able to communicate with investigators by squeezing their hands.

“It’s troubling to us because we’re not sure why it happened,” Lt. Ray Evers said this afternoon. “They didn’t go through his pockets and nothing was taken.”

Police have released surveillance video of the crime from a private residence, which shows the victim encountering two white men walking westbound on the 400 block of Pine who assault him. Lt. Evers said that there does not appear to have been enough time for words to have been exchanged before the first punch was thrown – “As you can see from the video, it happened almost spontaneously,” he said. He also said that the victim was walking home on his normal route from work at a nearby building and does not appear to have been specifically targeted.

The man fought back in what Evers called a “vicious battle” that turned into a “long struggle.” “We believe the complainant was getting the best of the two males and that they probably shot the male while he was ground,” he said. Four rounds were discharged from what investigators believe to be a revolver, with one round striking the victim in the chest.

“We are trying to get the video out to as many people in the area because we believe [the gunmen] may have been in a bar or restaurant at that area because of the time,” he added, saying that they were possibly watching the Eagles game on South Street or somewhere else in the neighborhood.

Police are looking the gunman, a six-foot to six-foot-two white man between 170 and 180 pounds wearing a dark vest with a white design on the back, a black hoodie and jeans, and his accomplice, a five-foot-nine 150-pound white man wearing all dark clothing.

They are zeroing in on the distinctive logo on the gunman’s vest, which they believe could provide a clue to his identity. They are also speaking with a SEPTA driver, who can be seen driving a bus down the street at the time of the attack.

“[Society Hill] is a very, very nice area,” Evers said. “We don’t have many crimes like this in this area … It’s odd that it happened in that area at that time.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Central Detective Division at 215-686-3193 or 215-686-3194.