A man was gunned down in the heart of Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood as nearby bars and restaurants were open for business Wednesday night.
The shooting victim appeared to have approached the driver's side window of a car along South 2nd Street just before 11:30 p.m. on Sept. 4, 2024, before falling to the ground with several gunshot wounds to his neck, chest and torso, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Officers responding to 911 calls quickly rushed the man -- later identified as 33-year-old Michael Clemens of the East Mount Airy neighborhood -- to a nearby hospital, but he died shortly after midnight, Small said.
On the ground near Clemens police also found a gun and evidence that at least five shots had been fired.
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There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
Investigators spent the early hours of Thursday searching for more clues as they tried to track down Clemens' killer. Surveillance video helped give police an idea of what took place.
"Where the shooting took place -- in the unit block of South 2nd Street -- there are numerous bars clubs and restaurants and most of them were open for business and most of them do have exterior surveillance cameras," Small said. "Several of the cameras did record this victim getting shot."
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The video appeared to show Clemens approaching the driver's side of a car. "When the door of that vehicle opened that's when our victim collapsed on the highway after being shot," Small said.
It was unclear if the gun found near Clemens belonged to him or the shooter, Small said.
A $20,000 reward was offered for information leading to the killer's arrest and conviction. Anyone with info can call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or call/text the PPD's tipline at 215-686-8477, police said.
To date, at least 184 people have been killed in Philadelphia in 2024, according to Philadelphia Police data. That year-to-date homicide total is down about 38% from the same time last year and the lowest since 2015.
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