Detectives are pleading for tips from the public to help identify a gunman who chased a woman – firing 10 shots at her – during the Monday morning rush hour just off Roosevelt Boulevard in Olney.
The woman, described as being in her 30s or 40s, was not struck by the gunfire, and no one in the area was physically injured, a fact that police Captain John Craig, of Northwest Detectives, referred to as “a miracle.”
On Thursday, Craig’s team released surveillance images and video of the man and the car he used to get to the area, near 5th Street and Roosevelt Boulevard. The incident occurred just before 7 a.m. on Sept. 15.
The clip shows the suspect hopping out of a SUV as traffic passes by on the Boulevard. He is shown opening fire and chasing the woman down the 4800 block of N. Lawrence Street. Gunshots and screams can be heard.
Craig told reporters that the victim lives in the neighborhood and was on her way to work. She is fully cooperating with investigators, he added.
Law enforcement officials have not determined a motive, and it’s not yet clear whether the woman knows the attacker.
Craig said the gunman is a Black man who is approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall with a medium to stocky build. At the time of the shooting, he was wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt pulled tightly around his face and white gloves.
He arrived at the scene in a black Nissan Juke, though he does not appear to have been behind the wheel. Authorities offered no description of the driver.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Northwest Detective Division at 215-686-3353 or call or text the PPD tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
Counseling, peer support, and victim advocacy services are available for victims, family members, and others affected by gun violence. Go to metrophiladelphia.com/gun-violence-resources for more information.
