(PHILADELPHIA) — A 43-year-old man on his way to evening prayers at a Philadelphia mosque Tuesday was shot multiple times and killed in what police called an “execution-type homicide.”
A suspect remains at large, police said. A motive is not yet known.
Police responded to reports of gunfire and a shooting on the 1500 block of Germantown Avenue shortly before 5 p.m. ET, authorities said.
The victim was found lying in the parking lot of the mosque suffering from multiple gunshot wounds — including several to his chest and torso and at least one to his head, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. Police rushed the victim to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, he said.
The shooter, who was wearing dark-colored clothing, fled the parking lot and got into a vehicle, Small said.
Surveillance footage captured the shooting in the parking lot, Small said.
“You can clearly see our victim walking to this mosque for a prayer service. He was walking with another male. You see the shooter run up behind the victim, and from just a few feet away, begin firing shots,” Small said during a press briefing.
The shooter continued firing after the victim collapsed onto the parking lot, Small said.
“Our victim clearly appears to be the intended target,” he said.
The name of the victim has not been released. The man the victim was walking with was uninjured, police said.
Seventeen spent shell casings were found at the scene, fired from a large caliber semi-automatic weapon, Small said.
The suspect vehicle is believed to be a dark-colored sedan with a replacement or donut tire on the right front passenger side, Small said.
Police will be reviewing other surveillance cameras in the area and have found several witnesses to the shooting, Small said.
There is a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction, police said.
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