UPDATED: 1 p.m., Friday, July 23
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The crew at Pat's Steaks was back to business Thursday morning just hours after a deadly argument between two customers turned the iconic South Philadelphia cheesesteak spot into a crime scene.
Around 1 a.m., police say, two men were fighting in the outdoor dining area where East Passyunk Avenue crosses 9th Street. Things got out of hand and police say one of the two men grabbed a gun and fired a single shot at the other man, hitting him in the lower back.
Police say the gunman, later identified as 36-year-old Paul C. Burkert of Reading, hopped into a van, and the driver took him away.
Witnesses said Burkert was wearing an Eagles jersey, and a Pat's employee told KYW Newsradio that the fight might have been about the Eagles and whatever team the victim was rooting for.
The 23-year-old victim, later identified as David Padro of Camden, New Jersey, lay near the red benches outside of the cheesesteak institution, until EMTs arrived. He was rushed to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police investigating overnight got word that Burkert was at a location near 5th and Market streets in Old City. Officers went there and took him into custody. He is charged with murder, a firearms offense, recklessly endangering another person, possessing an instrument of crime, tampering with evidence and conspiracy.
Related
The van that carried the suspect away from the shooting scene was not there. Police are looking for the woman who they believe was in the driver's seat.
Pat's and its neighbor Geno's Steaks are a popular tourist attraction. A man who lives nearby said he was surprised a man was gunned down there because of how busy the intersection is at all hours of the day.
"I find it weird that it happened here at Pat's, because it's a 24-hour business. It's kids 24/7 here. So it’s like, it happened right so close to home," he said.
There are many surveillance cameras in the popular tourist area where Pat's is located. Those cameras helped lead police to a suspect in another shooting at Pat's in December. Investigators said that incident was also sparked by a fight between customers, but no one was hit in that shooting.
Related
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story indicated that the victim died at the scene. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.