Chester cops give details on shootings, double homicide suspect

Chester Police released details on two shootings last night - one that left a man in critical condition - and they also released the mugshot of a man wanted for a double homicide this fall.

Around 10:56 p.m. Wednesday, Karam Purnell, 34, of Chester, was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds to his face and chest in front of a house on Hayes Street near Mary, police said. He was taken to Crozer Chester Medical Center, where he remains today in critical condition. Police did get evidence from the scene and conducted several interviews, but no arrests were made and a motive behind the shooting was not released.

Earlier in the evening, around 6:47 p.m., Norman Heir, 19, of Chester, told police he was robbed of his MP3 player and shot in the foot by two men on Tilghman Street near 6th. Heir was also taken to Crozer Chester, where he was listed in stable condition, according to police.

While cops have not made arrests in either case, they have identified the alleged shooter in a double homicide this fall as Brian "Itchy" Selby, 40, who is known to frequent Chester's Highland Gardens neighborhood.

Selby shot Tyrone Thompson, 27, and Thompson's nephew, Jeffery Joyner, 19, to death in Chester on Sept. 5, police said.

Selby is described as a 40-year-old black man, around 6 feet tall and about 180 pounds. The U.S. Marshal Service is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

Anyone with information on Selby's whereabouts is urged to call the U.S. Marshal at 866-865-8477 or Chester Police Det. Joseph McFate at 610-447-8428. Tips can also be made anonymously at 610-447-7810.