‘She was helping someone.’ Man charged with killing woman who intervened in argument outside a Center City 7-Eleven, police said.

A Philadelphia man has been charged with shooting and killing a woman after she attempted to intervene in an argument outside of a convenience store in Center City, police said.

John Kelly, 45, was arguing with his girlfriend outside of a 7-Eleven convenience store at 12th and Chestnut Streets around 5:45 p.m. Friday when Lauren Jardine walked by and tried to intercede, said Assistant District Attorney Jeff Hojnowski.

Kelly, who was carrying a screwdriver, then began to argue with Jardine, 33, who was illegally carrying a gun, he said. At some point, he said, the gun was drawn, and the two began to fight over it.

Video of the incident, taken by a bystander and shared online, appeared to show Kelly and Jardine fighting before the gun was fired at least twice, Hojnowski said. The video then showed Kelly wrestling with Jardine on the ground and hitting her in the head, before they stood up and again appeared to struggle over the gun, he said. Kelly eventually took control of the gun and shot Jardine, he said.

Jardine collapsed, and Kelly attempted to take something from her hand, telling her to “put it down” before he fired another shot, Hojnowski said. Investigators believe he was trying to retrieve his screwdriver, he said.

Kelly then threw the gun into a nearby mailbox, he said.

Jardine, of West Philadelphia, was struck in the lower back and hand. She was rushed to nearby Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where she died a short time later.

Kelly, identified as being homeless, was arrested near the scene of the shooting and has since been charged with murder, illegal gun possession, and related crimes. It was not immediately clear whether he had retained a lawyer.

Hojnowski said that it does not appear that Jardine knew Kelly or his girlfriend and that it’s not clear why she intervened in the argument.

Jardine’s mother, Ada, said her daughter was unafraid to stand up for people even if she didn’t know them.

“She was helping someone,” Ada Jardine said of her eldest child. “She was probably trying to tell him to leave her alone.”

Lauren Jardine was born and raised in South Philadelphia and most recently worked for the Riverwalk Giant grocery store, her mother said.

After dropping out of high school as a sophomore, she returned to school last year and recently earned her GED, her mother said. She was honored at an event hosted by the city’s Office of Education after completing a program through an adult literacy program, her mother said, and she was interviewed for an article about her experience that the city posted on its website.

In the story, she spoke of overcoming a series of challenges — incarceration, addiction, being a survivor of gun violence — and said she was excited to work toward a more secure future.

“While past obstacles and experiences may have hindered me in ways, they didn’t cripple me. I’m still fighting for the things I want and deserve,” Jardine said.

Her mother said she most recently working toward getting her commercial driver’s license and certificates to operate forklifts and repair HVACs.

She was in Center City on Friday afternoon attending a job fair in the area — detectives found her bag filled with job applications she was eager to fill out, Ada Jardine said.

But then, police said, she encountered Kelly.

Over the last two decades, Kelly has spent time in and out of jail for crimes including drug possession, robbery, and aggravated assault and has been known to panhandle outside of the Center City 7-Eleven.

In April, he was arrested and charged with criminal trespass, making terroristic threats, and harassment after the manager of a 7-Eleven near 12th and Filbert Streets told police that Kelly repeatedly harassed and threatened him, store employees, and customers, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.

The manager told police that Kelly had been visiting the store for about five months and repeatedly stole food and drinks and harassed customers, especially women, according to the filing. On one occasion, the filing said, Kelly blocked the employee manager from entering the store, but when the manager called the police, Kelly left before officers arrived.

On other occasions, the manager said Kelly told him, “I know where you live,” and “I know what station you take the train from,” the affidavit said.

Kelly was eventually arrested, and in May, he pleaded guilty to defiant trespassing, making terroristic threats, and harassment. He was sentenced to nine months probation by Municipal Court Judge Karen Y. Simmons, court records show.

He moved to a different 7-Eleven.