A peace rally/candlelight vigil will be held Saturday for the local victim, who met his end on a Southwest street.
One week to the day that an 18-year-old was gunned down inside his car in Southwest Philly, a peace rally/candlelight vigil will be held outside his home.
Eighteenth District police found John "Porky" Thompkins, of the 1600 block of South Etting Street, lying between the front and rear passenger seats of a gold Nissan Altima on the 4800 block of Paschall Avenue last Saturday, said Stephanie McNeil of the Police Public Affairs Unit.
Just minutes later, at 12:57 a.m., a medic pronounced the teen dead from multiple gunshot wounds to his body, McNeil said.
This Saturday’s rally and vigil was organized by Save the Children, a citywide anti-violence campaign founded by community activist and record label executive Abdul Chestnut.
"I had the pleasure of interacting with [Thompkins] and I must say he was a very respectable and classy teenager. It is just a shame that he was not able to reach his potential and be an asset to society," Chestnut said.
Investigators continue to search for a motive and suspects in the slaying.
To report information, call the Homicide Division at 215-686-3334/5.
Violence among roommates
Bad blood among three former roommates led to a street brawl that left two men beaten and stabbed on the 2600 block of South Marshall Street, police said.
It all began with a confrontation between the victims, ages 37 and 38, and a former roommate around 12:20 a.m. Saturday, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detective Division.
The roommate walked away after the feud, but allegedly returned a short time later with a gang of friends, who began beating the pair, the sergeant said.
The 37-year-old looked over at his friend and noticed he was bleeding badly, said Biello.
Both victims, who live on the block where they were attacked, suffered numerous stab wounds to the head and body, the sergeant said. They were admitted in stable condition to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Investigators said a knife or broken bottle was used in the attack.
As of yesterday, no arrests had been made because police were still trying to identify the roommate, known only to the victims as "Joey," said Biello.
To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.
Drive-by ambush
At least a dozen shots were fired from three different-caliber guns in a drive-by at Fifth and Mifflin streets that left two people wounded Sunday afternoon.
A 23-year-old man was walking north on Fifth from the 1900 block of McKean Street when he was ambushed around 2 p.m. Sunday, said Sgt. Tim Cooney of South Detectives. The gunfire came from a red car that had pulled beside the man, added the sergeant.
The victim was struck once in the abdomen and once in the leg.
A stray bullet struck a 50-year-old woman in her leg as she stood in her doorway on Fifth Street, Cooney said.
Police drove both victims to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where they were admitted in stable condition.
Investigators had no motive or suspects earlier this week. To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.
Teen arrested in slashing
Police arrested a 16-year-old after she allegedly slashed a 15-year-old girl’s face with a razor.
The incident happened last Thursday around 6:20 p.m. on the 1900 block of Catharine Street, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detectives.
An earlier fistfight between the pair allegedly prompted the suspect to pull out a straight-edged razor and slice the left side of the victim’s face, the sergeant said.
The victim was taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she received stitches to close the wound. Meanwhile, the teen suspect also was taken to CHOP for cuts she received from allegedly wielding the razor, Biello said.
The 16-year-old, from the 700 block of South 19th Street, was charged with aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime.
Driving into danger
A 19-year-old man cruising down the 600 block of Mercy Street drove right into the path of flying bullets, police said.
The victim told police he heard shots ring out around 10:10 p.m. last Thursday, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detectives.
Bullets shattered the front driver’s side window of the victim’s Ford Windstar minivan and struck the victim in his legs, the sergeant said.
The man managed to drive himself to Methodist Hospital, where he was treated and later released.
Detectives recovered three 9 mm casings at the scene, but had no motive or suspects as of yesterday.
Arson on Ninth Street
A fire that originated in a pile of combustible trash bags and wooden crab baskets in an alley behind the 1000 block of Ninth Street has been ruled an arson.
Third District police reported the blaze Monday after spotting the rear of a dwelling on the block engulfed in flames, said Sgt. Steve Biello of South Detectives.
Engines 10 and 24, along with Ladder 11, arrived shortly before 7 p.m. to contain the fire.
A green lighter was found in the alley near the origin of the fire by Darigo’s Fish and Crab House, Biello said. Latent fingerprint testing is being conducted on the lighter, added the sergeant.
To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.
Teens nabbed in home invasion
Seventeenth District police arrested four teens after they allegedly stole four motorized mini-bikes during an armed home invasion in the First District.
The youths allegedly broke into a family’s home on the 1900 block of West Passyunk Avenue last Thursday and stole the vehicles at gunpoint, said 17th District Capt. Jerrold Bates.
Just an hour after the 1:20 p.m. incident, police nabbed the suspects at 31st and Dickinson streets, the captain said.
Officers had to subdue one of the youths with pepper spray because he resisted arrest, said Bates.
Arrested were two 16-year-olds from the 2300 block of Bailey Terrace and 1300 block of Taylor Street, and two 15-year-olds from the 2000 block of Mercy Street and 2700 block of Daly Street.
All were charged with robbery, conspiracy and Violation of the Uniform Firearms Act.
St. Agnes ER flooded
Several patients in St. Agnes Medical Center’s ground-floor emergency room had to be moved to a first-floor temporary ER when floodwaters threatened on Sunday.
The temporary medical area, set up in the auditorium of the hospital at Broad and McKean streets, was in service from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., said Lori Ferrow, the hospital’s director of advancement.
"No other patient services or patient care was affected," Ferrow said.
Methodist Hospital, Broad and Wolf, is using St. Agnes’ ER while its emergency room is being renovated, she added.
