Police ID man killed in ambush shooting in Kensington
Manuel Ortiz was gunned down by shooters who rode up to him on mopeds and a dirt bike Monday night.
Police on Wednesday identified the 55-year-old man who was fatally wounded during an ambush by shooters who rode up to him on mopeds and a dirt bike, firing more than 40 shots Monday night in the city’s Kensington section.
Manuel Ortiz, who lived in the Upper Holmesburg section, was shot multiple times shortly before 8 p.m. He was found near Potter and East Huntingdon Streets and taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead minutes later.
Ortiz was sitting under a tree when the six people riding two mopeds and the dirt bike, two people on each, approached him, said Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore. The shooters jumped off and began shooting at Ortiz, who appears to have been targeted, Vanore said.
The motive for the attack was unclear, Vanore said.
In surveillance footage obtained by The Inquirer, the six people — all masked and wearing black hooded sweatshirts and pants — are seen riding up Potter Street toward East Huntingdon Street on the dirt bike and two mopeds.
As they approach the corner, they come to a stop and three passengers and one driver get off the bikes and begin firing in Ortiz’s direction.
In separate footage of the shooting, Ortiz is seen sitting on a blue folding chair under a tree, against a metal fence along the East Huntingdon Street side of Temple University Hospital Episcopal Campus.
Ortiz is seen talking to another person sitting next to him, when shots begin striking him and the ground around him. Dust can be seen rising from the sidewalk with each shot.
As he is shot, the victim falls from his chair onto the sidewalk as the other person next to him flees.
The other person, whom police did not identify, was not injured.
Police are asking anyone with information about the crime to call homicide detectives at 215-686-3334. People can also submit anonymous tips through the department’s tip line 215-686-8477.
Staff writer Robert Moran contributed to this article.