Camden homicides rise to 66

A 36-year-old Gloucester Township man was shot to death over the weekend in Camden, pushing the city's homicide count to a record 66 for the year.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office said Rahkeem Byrd was found critically wounded in a house in the 1100 block of Thurman Street late Saturday. He was taken to Cooper University Hospital, where he died.

Prosecutors said Byrd apparently was shot before 10 p.m. near Louis and Thurman Streets and fled, collapsing in the Thurman Street house.

Authorities asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact Camden County Prosecutor's Office Investigator Pete Longo at 856-225-8400 or Camden Police Detective Shawn Donlon at 856-757-7420. Information can also be e-mailed to ccpotips@ccprosecutor.org.

Camden now has one of the highest homicide rates in America, nearly 11 times the national average. The city's homicide rate is more than twice that of Philadelphia this year.

In a separate Camden County case, a man was shot while sitting in his car in Pennsauken about 2:45 a.m. Sunday in the 4400 block of Beacon Street, police said.

The victim, whose name was not immediately released, was taken to Cooper University Hospital.