PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia police say the carjacking of one man near Washington Square is connected to a bizarre shooting across town later that same evening.
Just before 6 p.m. on Monday, near 10th and Spruce streets, a man was getting out of his gray Chevy Cruze when he was carjacked and robbed at gunpoint.
A few hours later and across town, a 21-year-old was walking near 18th and Vine streets when police say the Chevy Cruze pulled up alongside him. The two men in the car demanded money.
As they were grabbing the 21-year-old's wallet and cellphone, the victim, who has a license to carry, pulled out his gun. "Fearing for his life," authorities say, he fired three times, striking one of the men. He then flagged down a security guard, who called the police.
When officers got to the scene, they say a 17-year-old — later identified as one of the alleged attackers — told police he was the one who was robbed and his brother was shot. The security guard countered, telling police the 17-year-old was in fact one of the robbers.
A little while later, police saw a man covered in blood and slumped in the driver's seat of a Chevy Cruze at Seventh and Callowhill streets. He was taken to the hospital for a gunshot wound to the head. He remains in critical condition.
As police searched for his identity, they found the stolen wallet of the 21-year-old armed victim.
Central detectives are handling the investigation, and so far no charges have been filed.
