Man, 37, shot to death on playground in Parkside

A man died after being shot eight times while he was at a playground in West Philadelphia's Parkside section with his girlfriend Tuesday night, police said.

Chief Inspector Scott Small said police were called to the Parkside-Evans Recreation Center, at 53rd Street and Parkside Avenue, just after 8 p.m. and found the 37-year-old victim lying on a grassy patch between the swings and the basketball courts bleeding from eight gunshot wounds to the torso, arm and back. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 8:14 p.m.

"He's in the middle of everything," Small said, adding that the recreation center was still open at the time of the shooting.

Small said 11 .45-caliber shell casings were scattered around the playground and a trail of blood starting within a few feet of where most of the casings fell and ending where the victim collapsed about 15 feet away indicated that the man was shot at close range.

The man's girlfriend watched the entire fatal shooting transpire and was taken to be interviewed by homicide detectives, police said.

It was unclear Tuesday night what motivated the shooting, cops said, but investigators said they were looking into the possibility that it may have been drug-related.

Several people were seen running from the playground after the shooting, including the shooter, who cops said wore a black shirt and gray shorts. No arrests had been made late Tuesday night, and the homicide -- the 222nd of 2012 and the second of the day Tuesday -- remained under investigation.