Yeadon man held in double shooting

A constable and an apartment manager were shot yesterday in Yeadon while serving eviction papers on a tenant, police said. The suspect was apprehended two hours later in Philadelphia.

Tamarr Minor, 21, is accused of shooting the pair as they attempted to evict him from his apartment at 2214 Alfred Dr. about 1:30 p.m.

Minor, who had lived at the Parkview Court Apartments for at least two years, became agitated when he was ordered to gather his belongings and leave, Yeadon Police Chief Donald Molineux said. Minor, who was sitting on the couch, pulled out a handgun from between the cushions and shot the constable in the head and the manager in the stomach before fleeing, according to Constable Jerry Bosch.

Minor was caught about two hours later at a residence on Conestoga Street in Philadelphia after someone reported his whereabouts to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Molineux said. Detectives from Southwest Philadelphia arrested Minor and searched the residence, finding what they believed to be the weapon used in the attack, Molineux said.

The constable, identified by Bosch as Carmen Damiani, was being treated at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania last night for a superficial wound of the head. Both Damiani and the apartment manager, identified by police as Ted Hicks, were in stable condition at the hospital.

Minor was taken there so the two victims could identify him, police said.

The shooting set off a massive manhunt, complete with helicopters and dogs.

Arthur Williams, who has lived in the 2300 block of the Parkview Court Apartments for 21 years, said he looked out his door when he heard sirens and saw dozens of police officers with their weapons drawn at the building the next block over.

"I said, 'Lord have mercy, what happened?' " he said.

Neither Williams nor a neighbor across the street, Charles Casey, said he knew Minor. Both said the apartment complex is a quiet place where people keep to themselves.

The complex has 950 units in tidy, three-story, red brick buildings off Chester Street. The well-maintained grounds feature sculpted shrubs and blooming azalea bushes.

But evictions here are common - as many as two or three a week, Molineux said. Typically, a resident is informed of an eviction through multiple mailed notices before being physically removed from the building, he said. Constables, who are law enforcement officers working primarily for district courts, assist with evictions.

The sole reason for Minor's eviction was nonpayment, Molineux said. Police had no motive for the shooting yesterday beyond Minor's agitation at being removed from his apartment.

Last September, Minor was found guilty of disorderly conduct for fighting and fined $436, according to court records.

Michael Mattson, a Delaware County assistant district attorney, said last night that charges would be filed, but he would not discuss the matter further.

Police were still looking last night for Minor's candy-apple-red 2005-2007 Pontiac Grand Prix with New Jersey plates, which they believe he drove to the Conestoga Street address. Police also continued searching Minor's apartment and the residence where he was arrested.