West Philly man killed while walking Chihuahuas

The Philadelphia Police Department is requesting the public’s help finding a suspect they say shot and killed a man who was walking two Chihuahuasin West Philly.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reportedthat a 35-year-old man “just left a variety store and was walking in the 4600 block of Kingsessing Avenue” shortly before 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday “when he was approached by an assailant who opened fire.”

Police said the victim was shot multiple times and was transported to Presbyterian Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The PPD describes the suspect as “a male in a gray hooded sweatshirt and orange hat who got into the passenger seat of a minivan that left the scene.”

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Here in Philadelphia, homicides are slightly up from last year. In 2014, the city saw a total of 241 murders, the vast majority of which were shootings. With two weeks left to go in 2015, the city has already seen 260 murders.

Still, the overall homicide rate is, today,32 percent lower than it was this time in 2007 before Mayor Nutter took office.