Marine veteran shot dead outside Olney bar
The suspected shooter was arrested a few blocks away when he broke into a house and lost a fight with the homeowner.
A 47-year-old Marine Corps veteran was fatally shot early Thursday after a conflict with another man at an Olney bar, and the suspected shooter was arrested after he broke into a stranger's house and lost a fight with the homeowner, police said.
Howard White was hit by several bullets about 12:55 a.m. outside the Green Parrot Tavern on the 500 block of West Spencer Street and was declared dead a few minutes later, police said.
Surveillance video from the bar offers few clues about what caused the shooting. It shows White near the back of the bar with several friends when a younger man with dreadlocks walks inside. White's group quickly escorts the younger man outside, and all seem to converse casually on the sidewalk for a few minutes.
Eventually, the video shows White, another man, and the younger man walking out of camera range, while others remain in front of the bar. Shortly after that, those in front of the bar appear to duck as if they had heard shots close by.
After that, the younger man — whom police did not identify — ran and broke into a house about two blocks away on the 6100 block of North Sixth Street to hide, police said.
Javier Vazquez, 56, who owns the house, said Thursday that his wife saw the man standing at the door of their bedroom while he was asleep and screamed. Vazquez said he leaped out of bed and fought with the man while forcing him down to the kitchen.
Downstairs, Vazquez said, "we got into a big scuffle, and he hit me a couple times with a gun in my face." Vazquez's son, Javier Jr., 23, then went downstairs and tackled the man, and the elder Vazquez said he took the gun out of the man's hands.
Police soon arrived and took the man into custody, Vazquez said. He said officers told him that the man — who Vazquez thought was high on drugs — was carrying White's gun, which had a Marine emblem. Vazquez also said officers told him that no bullets remained in the gun.
Police did not say what charges the younger man might face.
Yvonne Carlock, a Marine Corps spokeswoman, confirmed that White served in the corps, although details were not immediately available. Attempts to reach White's family were unsuccessful. The family told TV news crews at the scene that he grew up in North Philadelphia and recently had returned from working overseas.