NBC10’s Matt DeLucia has details about a wrong-way wreck on the Schuylkill Expressway that occurred after Philadelphia police said a person was shot in FDR Park early Wednesday.
A shooting during what prosecutors say was a drug deal gone wrong in South Philadelphia's FDR Park ended in a wrong-way crash on the Schuylkill Expressway early Wednesday. One of the vehicles had at least eight bullet holes in it and a person injured inside.
"This could have been a lot worse," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Police officers initially responded to FDR Park off Pattison Avenue around 3 a.m. after getting a report of a shooting, Small said.
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"When police went to that location they did not initially find the scene, however, they did find a scene on the westbound lanes of I-76 where they found two vehicles involved in an accident," Small said.
The wreckage was found on I-76 near Passyunk Avenue. The crashed Ford Explorer had about eight bullet holes in it and a man in his 20s bleeding from a gunshot wound to his neck in the backseat, Small said.
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Police rushed that man to the hospital where he was listed in critical condition, Small said. On Thursday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office said the man was paralyzed from the neck down.
In the other car -- an Infiniti sedan -- was a man in his 20s who had a gun on him, Small said.
Police said it all started with a fight in FDR Park that escalated into a shooting where at least 18 bullets were fired. On Thursday, Krasner's office that preliminarily, "this incident appears to be a drug-related transaction that turned violent."
A tow truck driver told police that he saw the drivers who fled the shooting scene driving at a high-rate of speed eastbound in the westbound lanes of I-76 before crashing.
The Schuylkill Expressway reopened around 5:30 a.m.
The driver of the Infiniti was taken into custody for questioning, Small said. The woman driving the SUV was being called a "witness."
The DA's office announced Thursday aggravated assault charges against Marcus Eberhardt, who they said was driving the sedan involved in the crash. The 23-year-old had a gun he is registered to carry on him at the time of his arrest.
Online court records show that Eberhardt posted bail, but don't name an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
