Gunman chases down, kills man in SW Philadelphia leaving trail of blood behind

A masked gunman chased down a man as he shot him several times in Southwest Philadelphia early Wednesday, leaving the man with fatal wounds, investigators said.

Police rushed to the area of South 59th Street and Chester Avenue around 2 a.m. on June 19, 2024, to find a man in his 30s bleeding from his face, neck and chest on the front steps of a home of one of his friends, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

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The man was conscious when officers picked him up to rush him to the hospital, Small said. However, the man would die about 30 minutes later.

The man with with a woman at the intersection of South 60th Street and Chester Avenue when a gunman wearing a ski mask, dark hat, gray jacket or sweatshirt, dark pants and white sneakers began firing, Small said.

"The victim ran about a full block eastbound," Small said. "According to the female witness, the shooter chased the victim and fired shots at the victim."

Police found a blood trail starting and evidence of a gunshot being fired near 60th and Chester, Small said. Investigators tracked the trail of blood to where they found the victim a block away.

Police hoped that surveillance video could help them figure out who pulled the trigger.

As is the case with all homicides in Philadelphia, a $20,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in this killing.

People with info can call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or call/text 215-686-8477. "All tips can be submitted anonymously," police said.

Entering Wednesday, at least 121 people had been killed so far this year in Philadelphia, according to police data. That's down about 38% from the same time last year and the lowest year-to-date homicide total since 2016.