Worker shot to death at Port Richmond Jiffy Lube

RUSH-HOUR TRAFFIC on Aramingo Avenue came to a crawl in Port Richmond Wednesday as drivers paused to watch police place yellow evidence markers on a Jiffy Lube driveway where bullet casings landed after a shooting that left a 40-year-old employee dead.

The unidentified victim was moving a Ford Focus into the service bay at the shop on Aramingo Avenue near Venango about 5:30 p.m. when a man approached him and the two got into a heated argument, police said.

Chief Inspector Scott Small said the gunman fired at least six shots at the victim and fled the scene on foot.

After being wounded in his face and chest, the victim slumped over into the car's passenger seat, police said. The man was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:59 p.m.

Six spent shell casings and bloodstains inside the car marked the scene of the slaying in Jiffy Lube's parking lot in Port Richmond Wednesday night as police investigated and passers-by crowded onto the sidewalk near the scene.

"Jesus, it only takes one bullet to kill somebody!" a bystander exclaimed as he passed the scene as dusk settled over the neighborhood Wednesday.

A surveillance camera recorded the killer fleeing the area, police said, and they were checking nearby businesses for cameras that may have recorded the incident.

"It's one of the busiest intersections in this area," Small said, "Hopefully we'll find some private surveillance recordings."

The gunman was described as a man with facial hair who wore a black hooded sweatshirt over a white shirt and black pants.

He was last seen running south on Tulip Street from Venango. Police Wednesday night were unsure of the man's approximate age and race.

Cops said they found a holster and a black sweatshirt that may belong to the shooter on Tulip Street between Venango and Castor.

Six witnesses — including the owner of the Ford Focus that was left on the scene — were taken to police headquarters to be interviewed by homicide detectives, and investigators remained at the scene investigatingabout 7 p.m.

Tipsters are asked to call the Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334. n

Contact Phillip Lucas at 215-854-5914, lucasp@phillynews.com, or follow @UnPhiltered on Twitter. Read his blog at www.phillyconfidential.com.