Double homicide

Two women were gunned down on a Grays Ferry street early Saturday and police are still searching for their killer.

One of them, 23-year-old Chante Jackson, was in the federal witness protection program and was to testify in a state murder case in March.

Homicide investigators have not yet established if Jackson was killed because she was a witness. "No definitive link has been established yet, but that’s our preliminary indications," Homicide Capt. Mike Costello told the Review.

Jackson was to testify against 26-year-old Hakim Bey charged with a 2000 murder. Another witness in that case was killed and that slaying remains unsolved. Costello said he did not have any information at his disposal about the Bey case or the witness homicide.

Residing in Jacksonville, Fla., Jackson had only been back in her old neighborhood less than eight hours to visit an ill family member when she was killed, police said. She was found on the sidewalk of the 1500 block of Patton Street near 32nd and Tasker streets while the other victim, 23-year-old Octavia Green from North Philly, was found in the front passenger seat of a ’08 black Chrysler sedan near Jackson’s body. Both women were shot multiple times in the torso.

Investigators do not know the relationship between the two that medics pronounced dead at the scene at about 2:15 a.m.

To report information, call the Homicide Division at 215-686-3334/5.

Can opener as a weapon

Police arrested a 38-year-old after he allegedly used a manual can opener to stab a fellow boarder in the head and face.

Jerry Branch was charged with aggravated and simple assault, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime, Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detectives said.

Monday’s 4:45 a.m. incident happened in the rooming house on the 2200 block of Oakford Street that served as Branch’s home.

According to police, Branch kicked down the door to the 52-year-old victim’s room and stabbed him in the head and above the right eye. The victim required numerous sutures and staples at Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where a medic took him in stable condition.

Cause of death determined

The day after a 41-year-old was found brutally attacked inside his home on the 1000 block of Cantrell Street, the Medical Examiner determined the cause of death as blunt-force impact to the head, spokesman Jeff Moran said. The Medical Examiner’s verdict confirms what police officials believed — that Victor Alfonsi had been beaten to death and left for dead Jan. 15.

A friend who went to check on the man found him at about 8:15 p.m. and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

More than a week after the brutal attack, homicide investigators have no motive nor have they made an arrest, Homicide Sgt. Bob Wilkins said.

To report information, call the Homicide Division at 215-686-3334/5.

Shot while leaving

An 18-year-old took a bullet to his lower back after turning his back on a man on a bike who witnesses said he had been arguing with. The shooting happened shortly before midnight Jan. 16 on the 2000 block of Dickinson Street.

The offender and victim were engaged in a dispute when the male on the bike pulled out a small-caliber handgun and fired three to four shots at the victim as he walked away, Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detective Division said.

The victim went to Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in stable condition and police recovered no ballistics evidence at the scene.

The shooter pedaled off, going south on South Capitol Street from Dickinson.

To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.

Woman missing

Police need the public’s help in locating a missing woman whose vehicle was found Jan. 5, the day after she was last seen dropping off her daughter and some friends at Philadelphia International Airport.

At 4:30 a.m. Jan. 4, Ashley Chan Jen, 50, from the 1400 block of South Eighth Street, was spotted pulling away from United Airlines Gate D in her white 2007 Toyota Sienna minivan with Pennsylvania tag GVV4355, police said.

The next day, the vehicle was recovered unoccupied at 301 S. Columbus Blvd. The victim may be suffering from depression or physical illness and is possibly suicidal, police said. According to a detective source familiar with the case, it is possible Jen may have jumped into the Delaware River.

Jen is Asian; about 5-foot-6; 125 pounds with short black hair; she was last seen wearing a red jacket. There is no further description of her clothing available. Jen speaks Mandarin Chinese and her English is very limited.

To report information, call South Detectives at 215-686-3013.

Charged with identity theft

A self-described transgendered man is being held on $25,000 bail after being charged with six counts of identity theft, access-device theft, theft and related offenses — all for one incident.

Sheldon Hart, 30, from the 500 block of Tasker Street, was arrested Saturday at her home in connection to a Jan. 9 incident at Exton Square Mall, West Whiteland Township Police Detective Scott Pezick told the Review.

An employee of a mall retail store reported her credit cards had been stolen from an employee area in the business. In the following days, those cards were used to purchase more than $2,900 in gift cards at Wawa and Target stores, Pezick said.

Police also are trying to track down a black male seen on store surveillance with Hart, who they believe was her accomplice, the detective said, adding the man is in his early to mid-30s, about 5-foot-9 with a medium build and graying beard.

Investigators are trying to determine if Hart was involved in similar incidents.

To report information, call 610-363-0200 ext. 106.

Arrested for arson

A woman was charged with arson and related offenses Jan. 13 after police said she tried to torch a Chinese eatery in retaliation for an earlier verbal dispute with the owner’s son.

Tia Wallace, 40, from the 1900 block of South 23rd Street, where Mandarin Chinese is located, was charged with arson, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person.

The 48-year-old owner saved his business by chasing Wallace out at about 5 p.m., a few moments after he discovered she poured gasoline from a metal canister onto his counter, floor and walls then took out a lighter and was about to ignite the place, Detective Joe Chiaro of South Detectives said.

A short time later, police took Wallace into custody at her home, where she had taken refuge.

The day before the incident, Wallace allegedly threw a glass bottle into the store after she had a verbal disagreement with the owner’s son earlier that day, Chiaro said. Investigators do not know the source of the altercation.

Former commissioner releases stats

In a report issued upon leaving office, former Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said violent crime declined 8 percent in every division in 2007 compared to the previous year. Johnson, who held a news conference at the Police Administration Building Jan. 3 to release the year-end statistics, said, overall, there were 1,904 fewer violent crimes citywide last year. South Police Division saw a 10 percent decline, or 252 fewer violent crimes than ’06. Violent crimes are homicides, rapes, robbery and aggravated assault.

A much-talked about and closely tracked statistic — homicide — dipped as well. There were 392 homicides in Philadelphia last year, down 14 bodies or 3.21 percent from ’06, when the city came in at 406. Non-fatal shootings declined 13.47 percent in ’07 compared with ’06. As far as victims, there were 270 fewer shootings in Philadelphia last year.

Johnson credited the hard work of his force with the results.