Two men were arrested and charged for their roles in a shootout that injured a 72-year-old woman and killed a dog in South Philadelphia.
Salvatore Branco, 27, and Rhett Mazza, 37, are both charged with aggravated assault, violation of the uniform firearms act, possession of an instrument of crime, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced Tuesday.
Branco is also accused of straw purchasing 11 firearms.
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The shooting occurred back on July 25, 2024, around 5 p.m. along the 1300 block of Porter Street. Branco and Mazza both pulled out weapons and opened fire at each other, investigators said.
Surveillance footage shows residents walking their dogs and children who were playing on the block running for cover as Branco and Mazza fire around 20 shots at each other before fleeing the scene, according to officials.
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During the shooting, a 72-year-old woman was grazed in the stomach while a resident’s dog was shot in the head. The woman survived the shooting while the dog died.
Branco later turned himself in to police and surrendered the gun he used in the shootout, investigators said.
Investigators also determined that Branco straw purchased 11 guns. Straw purchasing is the criminal act in which someone buys a product, often a firearm, on behalf of another person who is legally prohibited from doing so.
Investigators said three of the straw purchased weapons turned up in criminal cases throughout Philadelphia.
“One of his firearms was found in a home along with five other firearms, some in stolen status, and one of them used in a homicide,” a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office wrote. “Another firearm turned up after an aggravated assault incident, and one was recovered from a narcotics stash location. Branco never reported these firearms stolen and many of the firearms he purchased were identical makes and models.”
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