Gunfire rang out during a violent car repossession outside a grocery store in South Philadelphia’s Point Breeze neighborhood leaving a man dead and a dog injured.
The repo driver, operating a large pickup truck, tried to pluck the vehicle from in front of the Eight Brothers Food Market at 18th and Dickinson around 10:20 a.m. Friday, not realizing a woman was inside, Philadelphia Police said.
The woman -- who owed money on the SUV -- got out of the vehicle and called both the bank and her boyfriend, police said.
The woman's 32-year-old boyfriend showed up and pistol-whipped the repo man, investigators said. The repo driver hears glass shattering and thought he was being shot at so he used his own gun to fire back in self-defense, police said.
The boyfriend died a short time later at the hospital, police said.
As many as 19 bullets were fired during the exchange, police said.
The dog, which didn't belong to anyone involved in the repossession, was struck in the shooting. Investigators initially told NBC10 the dog died. They later said they didn't know the dog's current condition however. The owner of the dog said her pet actually survived the shooting. She is now raising money for the dog's recovery.
Police recovered guns from both the truck driver and the woman's boyfriend.
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Police took the repo driver into custody as they continued their investigation. It was unclear if any charges would be filed.
