Friends and family gathered in West Kensington Tuesday night to honor a Philadelphia man who police say was shot and killed by a gunman who was caught on video carrying a rifle in the middle of the street.
A vigil was held around 7 p.m. for 46-year-old Jose Perez on E Street and Allegheny Avenue, the same area where he was shot and killed over the weekend.
On Saturday around 2:30 p.m. an unidentified man walked into a barbershop on the 600 block of East Westmoreland Streets, police said. A witness told NBC10 the man was carrying a large box. The man sat down as if he was going to get a haircut but pulled out a rifle from the box minutes later, according to the witness. The man then allegedly started an argument, ran outside the barbershop chasing a 33-year-old man and opened fire.
A surveillance video obtained by NBC10 showed the gunman running on E Street just north of Allegheny Avenue with the rifle in his hand. Perez, the 33-year-old man and a 59-year-old man were all struck in the shooting.
Perez was shot in the chest, the 59-year-old man in the left arm and chest and the 33-year-old man in the back. Perez was pronounced dead a short time later The 59-year-old man is in critical condition while the 33-year-old was treated and released from the hospital.
Friends and family say Perez was fixing his car at the time of the shooting. Police believe both Perez and the 59-year-old man were innocent bystanders and the 33-year-old man was the gunman’s intended target. Friends and family also say Perez was fixing his car at the time of the shooting.
No arrests have been made. Police continue to investigate.
