Neumann student slain

It is our mission to provide an affordable education that will develop young men of strong moral character who will be ready to accept the challenges they will meet upon graduation from our school.

–excerpt from St. John Neumann High School’s mission statement

Alvin Dill Jr. saw an opportunity to demonstrate "strong moral character" over the Memorial Day weekend.

The Neumann junior was attending a party on a Southwest Philly street Sunday night. When an argument began brewing between two groups, he tried to play peacekeeper, said Officer Sheila Smith of the Police Public Affairs Unit.

In response, one of the males involved shot Dill twice in the chest, according to police reports. The 18-year-old — the son of Philadelphia Police Officer Alvin Dill Sr., who worked in the Traffic District — was dead on arrival at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center shortly after 11 p.m.

Two days after the fatal shooting on the 2500 block of Bonaffon Terrace, witnesses’ accounts varied. Some reported a party was being held on the street, while others described the event as a family get-together in the breezeway in the middle of the block. All agreed Dill, of South 76th Street in Southwest Philly, was shot after trying to break up growing tensions.

"We heard the shots, I turned out the lights and we hit the floor," said one resident who declined to give her name. "There were four or five shots. I waited a little bit and called 911. When I looked out the door, there was a gun right there and I watched to make sure the police got it."

Authorities were unable to confirm whether a gun was retrieved.

"This is a troubled street," added Gloria Smith, a 20-year resident of Bonaffon Terrace. "It’s a shame that it happened."

Based on witnesses’ descriptions, police say the suspect is a black male with dark skin weighing 260-300 pounds. He was dressed in a red shirt, black shorts and a red Phillies cap, police said.

Dill’s final act of character came as no surprise to former Neumann head football coach Ed "Bubby" DiCamillo.

"He was a very fine kid," he said of the victim, who played linebacker and fullback for the Neumann Pirates. "From what I understand, he was trying to break up a fight and that would be the type of kid he would be — one who would step in and try to calm things down. I just feel really taken aback by it, just shocked."

DiCamillo’s former assistant, Steve Smith, who also coached Dill, will be the football coach of the consolidated Neumann-Goretti High School. He also was shaken by news of Dill’s slaying, which occurred just hours after he was talking to the player about the upcoming season.

"I’m very upset," he said. "I never could imagine that change in a few hours."

Smith already has plans to honor Dill, who, he said, "was going to be a keystone to our program."

"Our kids want to dedicate the season to him and we’re going to retire his number for the season," Smith said. "No one is going to wear his number 40."

News of Dill’s death spread among Neumann students when they returned to classes Tuesday.

"This school community is praying for the family," said Cathy Rossi, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. "The mood was very somber at the school. The Dill family is very much in the hearts and minds of the students and the staff of St. John Neumann."

The tragedy abruptly shifted the school administration’s focus from preparing for Saturday’s graduation to handling students’ grief and shock.

The week began with a prayer service in the auditorium. Counselors were on hand to talk to students, and teachers gave classmates the opportunity to discuss their feelings.

Dill’s untimely death caps a turbulent year for Neumann, which will close its doors this month as it prepares to merge with St. Maria Goretti High School. Two recent Neumann graduates also were murdered during the school year: Joseph Briglia, 20, was stabbed to death in a local eatery in November, and Luckily Ky, 19, was shot during a holdup of his family’s store in December.

Services for Dill will be held Saturday at New Fellowship Baptist Church, 70th Street and Woodland Avenue. The viewing will be held 9-10:30 a.m., followed by funeral services.

To report information on Dill’s slaying, call the Homicide Division at 215-686-3334/3335.