Six people on dirt bike, mopeds ambush 54-year-old man, killing him after firing more than 40 shots

A crew of six people on a dirt bike and two mopeds ambushed a 54-year-old man in Kensington on Monday night, shooting at him more than 40 times and killing him, police said.

The victim, whom police did not identify, was found near Potter and East Huntingdon Streets shortly before 8 p.m. with multiple gunshot wounds, police said. He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead minutes later, at 8:22 p.m.

The man was sitting under a tree when the crew rode up to him, two people on each bike, said Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore. The shooters jumped off and fired dozens of shots at the man, who appears to have been targeted, said Vanore.

The motive for the crime was unclear. Police have made no arrests, but the investigation is continuing.

In surveillance footage obtained by The Inquirer, the six people — all masked, and wearing black hooded sweatshirts and pants — are seen riding up Potter Street toward East Huntingdon Street on one dirt bike and two mopeds. As the crew approaches the corner, they come to a stop and three passengers and one driver get off the bikes and begin firing in the direction of where the 54-year-old man was sitting.

In separate footage of the shooting, the victim is seen sitting on a blue folding chair under a tree, against a metal fence along the East Huntingdon Street side of the Temple University Hospital Episcopal Campus. The victim is seen talking to another person sitting next to him, when shots begin striking him and the ground around him. Dust can be seen rising from the sidewalk with each shot.

As he is shot, the victim falls from his chair onto the sidewalk as the other person next to him flees.

The other person, whom police did not identify, was not injured, said Vanore.

Kim Do lives near the shooting and said she was on the second floor of her home when she heard what sounded like “Chinese fireworks.” After checking to make sure her father, who had stepped outside earlier to smoke, was OK, she went back upstairs, looked out the window and saw someone lying on the sidewalk.

At first, she thought it could be someone who had overdosed or was sleeping, she said. Do, 32, was born and raised in Kensington and said she has made multiple calls to police over the years to report drug use and drug dealers steps from her home, where she raises a child.

In this case, she later learned from police that someone had been shot.

“At the end of the day, that’s why I always try to make these calls before someone gets killed,” said Do.

“It’s an unsafe environment,” she added. “Unsafe for my kids and the family I gotta take care of.”

Nearby business owner Justin Nguyen, 27, who has also lived his whole life in the neighborhood, said people seem to be more prone to violence than they used to be.

“These kids out here are running around shooting people in broad daylight,” he said. “There’s no code. They don’t care if there’s kids around. They don’t care if there’s anybody around.”

Police are asking anyone with information about the crime to call homicide detectives at 215-686-3334. People can also submit anonymous tips through the department’s tip line 215-686-8477.