ARDMORE, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A weekend homicide has a community in Ardmore in shock. Three men have been arrested since a body was found Saturday in a car outside of a popular park. Two face murder charges. Authorities say they were meeting the victim to buy a ghost gun. The third man has been charged with illegally transferring a firearm.
As police continue the investigation, the quiet Montgomery County community finds itself reeling over the act of violence.
"It never happens here until it happens here," said Kathy, an Ardmore resident. She and her friends often play cards in the park along 100 Ardmore Avenue. As children chased each other around their table, the women said the community is in disbelief.
Lower Merion police said they received a call around 3 p.m. Saturday asking them to perform a well-being check of a driver slumped behind the wheel of a car sitting near the park.
When authorities arrived, they said they found the man motionless, with a single gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Police said there are no safety concerns for residents in the area.
But Erin Bentley said she's shaken, because every weekend, she and her children come to play just feet away from where the man was found. They've always felt safe until now.
"This is the kind of community where you feel you can be out and safe, and everyone knows one another," she said, blinking back tears. "It's really sad. I think about his family."
Another resident, Katy, was similarly shocked by the development. "We were here yesterday, but we left before 3 p.m. We were at the pool. But that's so sad, because we frequent this park. And there are two preschools right down the road," she said.
Lower Merion police have yet to release the victim's identity or release any additional information about injuries or evidence at this time. They have asked anyone with information to contact them at (610) 649-1000.
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