A gunman opened fire at a Philadelphia homeless shelter Sunday morning, killing one employee and wounding another.
Police said the suspect is a former resident of the Station House men's shelter on Broad Street near Lehigh Avenue.
The gunman was evicted from the shelter Friday night for breaking the rules by being intoxicated, according to investigators. When he returned to the shelter just after 6 a.m. ET Sunday morning to collect his belongings, police said, he opened fire on employees, wounding one worker and fatally shooting another.
One employee, a man in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene and another, a 26-year-old man, was shot in the hip and taken to a hospital.
Residents of the shelter told NBC10's Drew Smith that they awoke to the sound of gunfire and saw one of the victims lying in a pool of blood and a man running from the building. One resident said both victims were always helpful and kind.
Former Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode is the director at Station House. An emotional Goode spoke with reporters late Sunday morning at the shelter in the aftermath of the shooting. He said the victim who died in the shooting was a good worker, well-loved by residents and had worked at Station House for several years.
Goode called the shooting tragic and said that security measures including searches of every person who enters the shelter are in place, but that there are no metal detectors. He said an investigation into whether increased security measures should be taken would begin in the wake of the shooting, and that the shooter managed to avoid a search when he walked in with food services.
The former mayor ended a news conference abruptly, saying he was losing his composure.
The two workers who were shot worked as a residential aide and a shelter manager.
The distraught family of the victim who died in the shooting arrived at the shelter later Sunday morning. They declined to be interviewed, but a cousin told NBC10 off-camera that the victim was 43 years old and enjoyed his job helping homeless people.
The surviving victim is in stable condition at a local hospital. That victim was able to identify the gunman for police, according to Capt. Anthony Ginaldi. Ginaldi said police are still searching for the 32-year-old gunman they consider armed and dangerous.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement on the shooting Sunday afternoon.
"This morning a man who had dedicated his career to helping our City’s most vulnerable lost his life, and one of his co-workers was badly injured," Kenney wrote. "It’s a heartbreaking tragedy."
With dangerously cold temperatures moving into the region, shelter employees were concerned the crime scene inside the building could interfere with Code Blue intake Sunday night. The Station House is the only city homeless shelter that does after-hours intake for single men.
"I implore Philadelphians in need of shelter services to continue to utilize them as we enter a Code Blue this evening," Kenney said. "The City is squarely focused on your safety. If you know of a homeless person in need of shelter please call our 24-hour hotline at 215-232-1984.”
Fire tore through a building in North Philadelphia overnight, displacing several people.
Crews battled the blaze on 19th Street near Erie Avenue, in Tioga, about 2 a.m. Authorities said the fire started on the second floor of a residential building on the block and was placed under control by 2:20 a.m.
No injuries were reported, but Red Cross officials said they were assisting several displaced people with food, clothing and lodging.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Philadelphia Police hope that surveillance video of a sedan speeding away from the scene after a robber shot a 75-year-old grandmother carrying her groceries home in the face on New Year's Eve will help them nab their suspect.
But, after a week without an arrest, a reward was announced and a sketch was released in hopes that someone would come for forward with information on the "heinous" attack.
"You take a lady who's 75 years old, she's fighting you for her pocketbook and you shoot her in the face -- I don't think there's anything more heinous than that," said Northeast Detectives' Lt. Dennis Rosenbaum during a news conference last week.
Police said the senior citizen was walking along the driveway between Erdrick and Montague streets near Wellington, in Mayfair, on her way home from the ShopRite on Frankford Avenue just before 10 a.m. on New Year's Eve when she was accosted by the gunman, who shot her once in the cheek and stole her purse full of cash and her cellphone before taking off in a silver or white, 2004 to 2006 Nissan Maxima with some front grill damage and a sunroof.
The victim's daughter Edie Ritchie said her mother, who still works, had just cashed a paycheck before going out to grab groceries.
Before pulling the trigger, the man -- described as being in his late 20s to early 30s with black hair; standing around 5-feet, 10 inches tall; and weighing between 220 to 240 pounds; who wore a red knit cap and sported a trimmed beard -- told the woman "I'll shoot you," police said.
"She struggled with him and he pulled her into the car, during that course of action she was shot in the face," said Rosenbaum. "Luckily it wasn't life-threatening, it was a through-and through shot."
Police said the man dragged the victim for a few feet before speeding off.
Incredibly, after being shot, the victim managed to continue walking and make it back to her home about two and half blocks away, where she put away her groceries before calling for family for help, police said. The family then called 911.
"This is a very strong woman," said Rosenbaum.
The woman continues to recover from the bullet wound to her right cheek.
The Citizens Crime Commission kicked in $1,000 to go with a $5,000 reward from the fraternal order of police in hopes of capturing the man wanted for robbery and aggravated assault.
Anyone with information in the shooting should contact Northeast Detectives at 215-686-3153/54. If you spot the suspect you should consider him dangerous and should call 911, said police. Tips can also be sent to the crime commission at 215-546-TIPS of police at 215-686-TIPS.
Police are searching for a missing Philadelphia girl.
London Barabun-Solomon, 12, was last seen at the Cheltenham Mall on W. Cheltenham Avenue with her friends Saturday around 6:30 p.m.
Police say London has a medical condition that requires her to walk with a leg brace. She stands 4-feet and weighs 108 pounds with brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a beige hooded sweatshirt with "Bambi" on the front, black pants and blue sandals.
If you have any information on her whereabouts, please call the Northeast Detective Division at 215-686-3353/54.
Leftover moisture from Sunday's snow and bitter cold temperatures are causing dangerous road conditions in South Jersey.
Several accidents were reported in Hamilton Township and Vineland Sunday night due to black ice and slush. An Arctic Blast bringing in bitter cold temperatures is causing leftover moisture to freeze on roads.
Be careful if you're driving overnight or Monday morning. Temperatures dropped into the 20s late Sunday and wind chills will be in the single digits overnight and Monday morning.
Light snow moved into the region Sunday afternoon sticking on grass, rooftops and cars. Temperatures during the day were just above freezing however preventing the snow from accumulating on streets.
The snow still caused issues at Philadelphia International Airport where arriving flights experienced 30 minute delays.
A Winter Weather Advisory was in effect for southern parts of Delaware and parts of South Jersey until 7 p.m. The system moved out of the Philadelphia region around 6 p.m.
The forecast for the week is cold, with a possible snowstorm coming on the weekend.
Stay with NBC10.com for continuing weather updates.
An overturned car snarled traffic on I-76 in Philadelphia Sunday afternoon.
The car crashed in the eastbound lanes just before Montgomery Drive shortly before 2 p.m. The right lane of the eastbound expressway was shut down for a period of time following the crash.
Police said at least one person was transported from the scene to Hahnemann University Hospital. The extent of the person's injuries were unclear.
The circumstances surrounding the crash were under investigation.
Philly foodies rejoice! Restaurant week is back!
Center City’s restaurant week officially began Sunday and will continue through January 22 then resume from January 24 through January 29.
Participating restaurants are offering three-course dinners for $35+ per person while some are also offering a three-course lunch for $20+.
CLICK HERE to view the full list of participating restaurants. Make sure you make your reservations quickly as they fill up fast during the event.
CLICK HERE for more information, including menus, top picks and restaurant parking.
A man was found shot to death in an alley behind his North Philadelphia home.
Police responded to a call reporting a person’s body was found in a rear alley on the 3000 block of North Bailey Street just after 7:30 p.m. Sunday. When they arrived they found an unidentified 42-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his chest lying in the alley. He was pronounced dead at 7:52 p.m.
Police have not yet released the man’s identity but say he was found dead right next to his house. The man’s family members were inside the home at the time, police said.
Witnesses told investigators they heard gunshots at the location right before police first received the call. Police continue to investigate.
THE SURE BET: ANOTHER ARCTIC BLAST
This part is a “no-brainer:" another Arctic blast is moving in for the first half of the week. When we see wind chills of -20 in Chicago, and our air is coming from that area, it’s going to feel mighty cold soon. It will feel like close to ZERO in the Philadelphia area from Monday afternoon all the way to early Wednesday morning. That’s about 42 straight hours!
Here is a forecast map of temperatures for 7am Tuesday, which should be the lowest of the cold spell.
And it’s still going to be windy at that time, so wind chills may drop below zero in much of the area for a brief time.
A WINTER STORM-HOW MUCH AT MY HOUSE?
By now, you may have heard about a potentially big snow storm for Friday/Saturday. As is the recent custom, you may have even heard about certain computer models showing specific amounts of snow. You are not going to hear or see any of those in this blog. Talking about specific snow accumulations FIVE days in advance is a foolish exercise. Weather forecasting has improved a lot in the past few decades but the amount of detail in the atmosphere needed for accurate snowfall more than 2-3 days ahead of time just doesn’t exist. We can talk about a storm’s “potential” or different “possibilities," but that is all that can be responsibly shown this far out.
Yes, this storm does have a lot of potential, and I’ll explain the factors. Normally, I wouldn’t even go this far this early, but it’s a pretty impressive setup.
THE IMPRESSIVE SETUP
1. The AO (Arctic Oscillation) is often one of the main ingredients in classic snow storm patterns. Some of our bigger storms have come after the AO or NAO (North Atlantic Oscillation) gets very low and then rises rapidly. The graphic below shows just how low the AO is:
That is about as negative as the AO gets. Yet it is predicted to get back to near 0 in about a week. When we see a change like this, we tend to believe computer models that show East Coast storms developing.
2. It doesn’t happen often, but pretty much ALL computer models show an East Coast storm in the Friday/Saturday period. The exact tracks and timing are not agreed on, but that’s pretty impressive this far ahead of a storm.
3. The world’s best overall model, the European, has been consistent in the past 24 hours in predicting a significant storm tracking just south of us. That’s close to an ideal track for a snow storm for at least part of our area.
4. Not only the EURO itself, but what is known as the European “Ensembles” have a very similar view. The EURO is run 51 different times, with slightly different initial conditions. The average of them is known as an “ensemble," and tends to be even more reliable than the regular EURO.
Here is the Saturday 7am forecast of the EURO Ensembles. It’s a little south of the regular EURO, but close enough for significant snow in parts of our area. The light blue zone would be considered close to the rain/snow line at that time:
5. The record El Nino in the Pacific typically is associated with an unusually strong Jet Stream from the Pacific into the Gulf of Mexico. It’s known as the Subtropical Jet, and it often leads to strong storms along the U.S. East Coast. The question in strong El Nino winters is usually “Where is the cold air?” In this case it should be cold enough for snow however.
6. An unusually warm ocean off the East Coast has the potential to add extra moisture to whatever storm develops. Again, IF it’s cold enough for snow, the warmer ocean can potentially lead to more snow.
THE BOTTOM LINE
It’s way too early for specifics, but there is potential for a significant winter storm to affect much of our area during the Friday/Saturday period. We will provide updates with the latest thinking each day as we go through the week. Plans don’t need to be changed just yet, but it should be something at least in the back of your minds that changes could become necessary.
A water main break in Chester County shut down roads in East Whiteland Township early Monday morning.
The main break shut down Swedesford Road between Church Road and Phoenixville Pike about 4:30 a.m. Gallons of water poured into the roadway, creating icy conditions in the frigid temperatures.
It was unclear how long the roads would be shut down.
A memorial service in Montgomery County this weekend honored a local Airman killed by a suicide bomber while serving his country in Afghanistan.
U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Peter Taub, a 2004 graduate of Cheltenham High School, died along with five other U.S. service members when they were ambushed by a suicide bomber Dec. 21 near Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield.
Taub was the father of a 3-year-old girl and had a second child on the way at the time of his death.
A memorial service in Montgomery County honored the young Airman's life on Sunday.
Taub's father, Joe Taub, said his son loved his family and that his little girl was the apple of his eye.
"He was good-natured, had a good soul," Joe Taub said.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Taub's wife and children.
A historic South Jersey tavern went up in flames Monday, devastating community residents as it burned for hours in a three-alarm inferno.
Firefighters were first called about 5 a.m. to the Hillcrest Tavern and Coach Room, in Bridgeton, Cumberland County, caught fire in the early-morning hours. The Hillcrest Tavern, built in 1782, was a longtime landmark and icon of the small South Jersey community where it is located.
The fire burned for hours as firefighters from several different local departments diligently battled frigid temperatures as they fought the flames.
NBC10's Drew Smith reported that although most of the flames were doused by 11 a.m., the scene was not declared under control because of the way the centuries-old building collapsed.
Residents of the area were devastated by the loss of the historic tavern.
"This was a mainstay," said Bridgeton councilman Bill Spence. "I don't think anybody ever thought about this disappearing."
Denise Dellaquilla, a longtime bartender who worked at the Hillcrest for 26 years, cried as she spoke with NBC10's Cydney Long outside the ruined building Monday afternoon.
"It's just devastating," Dellaquilla said. "It's the place everybody went, the place everybody loved and it's a big loss for Bridgeton."
As crews battled the fire, the freezing temperatures complicated matters, creating sheets of ice around the scene. Crews threw salt to try to melt the ice as they continued to fight the fire.
It was unclear what caused the blaze at the two-story tavern building.
The tavern's original purpose was to mark a stagecoach route from Trenton to Cape May, according to Cumberland County's website.
No injuries were reported.
The fire had Route 49 shut down in both directions in the area of Fayette Street. The road was reopened about 12:30 p.m.
