What to Know
- The owner of a Philadelphia auto repair shop was struck and killed by stray bullets while working on a car outside his business Thursday.
- Police say an arrest was made in connection to the shooting.
- It was one of three deadly shootings in a two-hour span in Philadelphia Thursday.
The owner of an auto repair shop in Philadelphia's Wissinoming neighborhood was struck and killed by stray bullets while working on a car outside his business, investigators said.
Michael Gleba, the 56-year-old owner of Northeast Speedometer Services on the 4800 block of Benner Street, was doing work on a vehicle Thursday around 3:15 p.m. when about four gunmen fired 15 shots at another group down the street. Gleba, who police say was not the intended target, was struck multiple times in the upper body.
He was taken to Frankford-Torresdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Those who knew Gleba described him as a father who loved fishing and giving back to the neighborhood. He would fix kids' bicycles, give food to neighbors who didn't have any and helped out customers who didn't have enough money for car repairs.
"Mike looked out for my family when I lost my father," Paul Britton told NBC10. "My mom didn't have the money to get a truck fixed. Mike looked out for us, took care of my mom, fixed our truck for us. Didn't expect nothing back."
One other person was shot in the arm during the shooting, which police say was related to an ongoing fight over drugs between two houses on the block.
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At least two people were taken into custody in connection to the shooting though no charges have been filed. Police have not yet revealed the condition of the second victim.
Police also told NBC10 there was another drug-related shooting at the same location last week. During Thursday's shooting, children were outside.
The incident was one of three homicides that occurred within a two-hour span in Philadelphia Thursday afternoon.
The second shooting occurred inside a corner store on the 5500 block of Torresdale Avenue, less than a mile away from the auto repair shop. A gunman shot a 23-year-old man once in the head. The victim was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:02 p.m.
The third shooting occurred in North Philadelphia at 4:50 p.m. A 29-year-old man was shot multiple times on the 800 block of W. Somerset Street. He was taken to Temple University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:08 p.m.
No arrests have been made in the Somerset Street and Torresdale Avenue shootings.
Thursday's homicides follow a violent Saturday in which two people were killed and four hurt during four separate shootings in Philadelphia in an eight-hour span.
Prior to Thursday's deadly shootings, the city's total number of homicides was at 89, up 16% from the same time last year.
If you have information on any of the shootings, please call Philadelphia Police.
