Man Shoots, Kills Would-Be Armed Robber In South Philadelphia: Police
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Police say a man smoking a cigarette outside his home in South Philadelphia shot and killed a would-be robber. The deadly shooting happened around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at 6th and Jackson Streets, near Snyder Avenue.
Eyewitness News talked to one neighbor who heard the gunshot and saw a man lying in the street. She called 911 as her husband pulled him onto the sidewalk and tried to save his life, not knowing who the man was.
"We just thought someone was hurt and wanted to help, that's all," neighbor Angela Rouse said. "My husband just tried to figure out where he was bleeding from and to get him off the street until an ambulance could get here."
Officers say a suspect on a bicycle approached a man smoking a cigarette outside when the suspect pulled out a gun and intended to rob the victim. That's when police say the 24-year-old man turned the tables on the suspect, pulling out his own gun and shooting the suspect in the head.
"According to the 24-year-old who fired the shot, the perpetrator after being shot in the head pulled his gun and fired one or two shots, but did not strike the 24-year-old who fired the initial shot," Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
That suspect later died. Police say the victim has a permit to carry and is cooperating with the investigation.
CBS3 also uncovered data showing the number of license-to-carry applications in the city has been skyrocketing. It was more than six times over last year.
Data shows license-to-carry applications in Philly hovered around 11,000 per year between 2017 and 2020, but it surged to six times that number to more than 70,000 applications last year.
"People are really fearful," Chip Gallagher said.
Gallagher is a criminal justice professor at La Salle University and points out 2021 was a violent year in Philly.
"The data really suggests that homicides are higher, carjackings have gone up," Gallagher said. "So people feel that they can best protect themselves if they can control the space around them and that means getting a permit."
And after Wednesday's shooting, some neighbors in South Philly are now looking into getting their own carry permits.
"It's definitely something I'm considering as well. Especially since I'm a new father, you want to be able to protect your family," Samphearleak Som said.
Philly police say license-to-carry applications continue to be on the rise for this year.
For a list of gun violence resources in Philadelphia, click here.
