PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A man was fatally shot in the stomach in Center City’s Gayborhood overnight while celebrating Pride, police said.
It happened on Camac Street, near Locust Street, around 2:30 a.m. Monday.
Jason Bowman, president of Philly Black Pride, said he saw the victim — 31-year-old Derwin Matthews — around 2 a.m. Half an hour later, police said Matthews got into an argument with another man and was shot in the stomach.
Matthews was transported to the hospital, where he was declared dead a few hours later.
Friends remembered Matthews as a “protector who loved everybody.” He was a chef and well-known in Philly’s ballroom community.
“Just an amazing overall young man, and to know that he was killed is crazy. It’s the second day of Pride,” said Bowman.
Tami Sortman, president of the Washington Square West Civic Association, said Sunday’s Pride festivities started as a family-friendly event, but by nighttime, the tone shifted.
“A lot of the crowd starts to disperse, but then it seemed like a lot of different people came into the neighborhood,” she said, “people that didn’t seem as happy and celebratory as the other people who were here earlier in the day.”
Detectives are trying to piece together what happened. Anyone with information is asked to call police or submit a tip at 215-686-TIPS.