A group of about seven children made a gruesome discovery Sunday on the grounds of Stephen Girard Elementary School at 18th Street and Snyder Avenue.
When police arrived at about 7:13 p.m., the kids took them to a Dumpster next to where the nude, partially decomposed body of a woman was found under a blue tarp, Officer Raul Malvieros of the Police Public Affairs Unit said.
The Medical Examiner determined Loretta Thomas, 42, from the 2200 block of South Bucknell Street, was strangled to death July 8 – the day before she was found, Malvieros said.
Homicide investigators have no motive or suspects.
To report information, call the Homicide Division at 215-686-3334/5.
Killed in Southwest
In what homicide detectives said was a drug-related shooting, a local man was gunned down on a Southwest street.
Suffering from multiple wounds to his face and body, James Dolan, 40, from the 900 block of McClellan Street, managed to run several blocks Saturday before collapsing on the 5900 block of Kingsessing Avenue, Officer Raul Malvieros of the Police Public Affairs Unit said.
Investigators said someone ambushed Dolan on the 6000 block of Reinhard Street.
Dolan was pronounced dead at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania shortly before 7 a.m. after officers found him at 6:10 a.m.
To report information, call the Homicide Division at 215-686-3334/5.
Teen shot
Homicide investigators continue their search for the person who took the life of a teen Monday night.
Rameek Roland, 19, from the 1800 block of South 20th Street, was shot multiple times in the torso at about 11:20 p.m., Officer Raul Malvieros of the Police Public Affairs Unit said.
Roland was standing on his block when he was ambushed by gunfire. He died at HUP at 11:29 p.m.
To report information, call the Homicide Division at 215-686-3334/5.
Trio sprayed with gunfire
Across the street from A.S. Jenks Elementary School, spent casings littered the northwest corner of Iseminger and Porter streets after three men were hit by gunfire July 5. Hordes of neighbors and passersby crowded the street immediately after the 1:45 p.m. shooting.
A 17-year-old suffered a wound to his right foot; a 32-year-old was hit in his left leg; and an 18-year-old took a bullet in his right leg, Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detective Division said.
All went to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in stable condition.
A week later, police are having a tough time piecing together what happened.
"It was an argument that turned into a fight between a very large group of people. We have no idea what the dispute is over. None of the victims seem to be forthcoming. We have conflicting information," Detective Thorsten Lucke of South Detectives said.
The evening of the shooting, detectives questioned a teen, but he was not charged. The search continues for the shooter or shooters. Detectives recovered six, .45-caliber shells at the scene.
To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013/4.
Dispute leads to bloodshed
An argument over money triggered a shooting Sunday night on the 1200 block of South 10th Street, police said.
Police arrested Charles Gagliardi, 64, from the 1100 block of South 10th Street, shortly after he allegedly gunned down a 43-year-old he knew, Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detectives said.
The two were believed to have been feuding over money when Gagliardi allegedly pulled a black revolver and squeezed off two shots, striking the victim in the face and shoulder. The wounded man went to Jefferson Hospital in critical but stable condition.
Shortly after the 6:50 p.m. incident, police arrested Gagliardi at his home and recovered a .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver, Chiaro said. He was charged with aggravated and simple assault, firearms violations, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime.
Stabbed in head
Using a kitchen knife, a 40-year-old woman allegedly stabbed her live-in boyfriend in the back of the head following a dispute.
The violence erupted 9 p.m. Saturday on the 400 block of Christian Street, sending the 43-year-old victim to Pennsylvania Hospital for about six sutures to close the wound.
Police found the man bleeding from the head inside the dwelling, Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detectives said.
An arrest is pending for the assailant.
Two die in boating accident
A man and his teenage nephew, both from South Philly, died during a fishing expedition June 29 in New Jersey when a tugboat towing a barge ran into their vessel and sank it in the Atlantic Ocean. The Coast Guard identified Thomas Lampman, 39, and Patrick McGoldrick, 16, as the victims.
The Coast Guard would not release addresses of the decedents because the investigation is ongoing, Lt. William McKinstry said, referring the Review to New Jersey-based attorneys representing the victims’ families.
Lampman is from the 2400 block of South Lee Street, according to attorney Edward Petkevis.
David Long, the attorney retained by McGoldrick’s family, would not release the teen’s block.
The tugboat collided with the Alex Mac at 8 p.m., sinking it six to seven miles off Point Pleasant, N.J., Coast Guard Petty Officer John Edwards said.
Shortly after the fishing boat capsized, two other men aboard were rescued from their lifeboat by a nearby vessel, Edwards said. The survivors were treated for hypothermia at a New Jersey hospital.
The search for Lampman and McGoldrick continued into Friday morning with divers from Point Pleasant Police and New Jersey State Police aiding the Coast Guard. Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. June 30, the two were found inside the Alex Mac, sunk in 75 to 80 feet of water, Edwards said.
Too young for adult trial
A July 7 preliminary hearing for the teen accused of shooting 4-year-old Nashay Little in the leg June 13 in Point Breeze was cancelled after prosecutors discovered the suspect was younger than police said.
Originally believed to be 15, 13-year-old Vaughn Wiley from the 2200 block of Mifflin Street cannot be tried as an adult and will stand trial as a juvenile, Assistant District Attorney Beth McCaffery said.
Wiley is charged with attempted murder and related charges.
"If he were 14 we could have moved to have him tried as an adult, but because of his age we cannot," she said.
The prosecutor would not get into specifics as to how the inconsistency came to her attention.
"According to police records and court documents there was a discrepancy as to the age," she said.
Using Wiley’s birth certificate and school records, the District Attorney’s Office confirmed his real age, the prosecutor said.
When police officials announced Wiley’s arrest at a press conference June 28, the day after he was apprehended, they said he was 15.
Next up for Wiley is an adjudicatory hearing at a date to be determined.
The district attorney’s office is still looking for witnesses in the case.
"We would encourage other witnesses to come forward," McCaffery said. "There were more people out on the street that saw what happened."
Tickets to Hero Thrill Show on sale
Tickets are on sale for the annual police and fire departments’ Hero Thrill Show. The event takes place Sept. 9 at the Wachovia Spectrum Complex and tickets are $10.
CBS 3 television personality Larry Kane will serve as master of ceremonies. The show will include a variety of entertainment plus classic cars, performances by the Philadelphia Police Department’s Motorcycle Drill Team and the Fire Department performing life-saving techniques. Fireworks will cap off the spectacle.
To purchase tickets, contact police event coordinator Bob Ballentine with the Fraternal Order of Police at 215-629-2426 or fire event coordinator Ray Clothier with Firefighter’s Union Local 22 at 215-828-2344.
A few good men
Men United for a Better Philadelphia’s South Philly chapter is looking for recruits to take its anti-violence message to the streets.
Led by South Philly resident Rennie Mayo, the chapter canvasses streets in areas hard-hit by recent violence every Monday starting at 5 p.m. The group hands out literature on employment, family health services, substance abuse, education and fatherhood issues. Members also talk one-on-one with teens they see hanging around street corners in an attempt to reach out to them.
For more information, call Mayo at 267-575-2465.
