Authorities released images and video late Tuesday in an attempt to catch a man who shot an on-duty School District of Philadelphia safety officer over the weekend in Old City.
Police responded at around 1:45 a.m. Sunday to the 300 block of N. Columbus Boulevard, near the Dave & Buster’s, in Old City where they found a marked district vehicle that had crashed into a tree, investigators said. Inside, they discovered a 68-year-old male uniformed school safety officer who had been shot multiple times in his torso and face, according to the PPD.
He was transported to Jefferson University Hospital with serious injuries, though his condition has stabilized, authorities said. He has been able to communicate with family members, officials added.
The victim has been on the school safety team for nearly 20 years; he previously served 28 years as a Philadelphia police officer, district spokesperson Monique Braxton said.
She told Metro that he was finishing an overnight shift at Kensington Creative & Performing Arts High School, which has been serving as a shelter for people impacted by a June 23 fire at the Courtyard Apartments at Riverview in South Philadelphia.
On Sunday, in the aftermath of the shooting, police said the motive “appears to be road rage,” and investigators recovered four spent 9mm shell casings at the scene. School safety officers are unarmed.
A clip distributed by the PPD does not depict the shooting; rather, it shows the suspect’s SUV traveling through the streets. Detectives said it is a 2017-2019 white Kia Sportage that has a missing front license plate and possibly a sticker in the upper left-hand corner of the windshield. The vehicle was last spotted going eastbound on Girard Avenue at 5th Street just after 1:50 a.m. Sunday, according to police.
Investigators described the suspect as a Hispanic man with a bowl-style black haircut who was wearing a red or orange shirt at the time of the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call or text the PPD tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
