Police: Repo Man Shootout Leaves Man, Dog Dead In Philly
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia police are investigating after a car repossession went terribly wrong Friday morning in Point Breeze.
"Just like a firecracker- bam bam bam bam bam," said Mike Young, who was working nearby as shots rang.
It happened around 10:30 a.m. on the corner of 18th and Dickinson Streets.
"It was just rapid fire, like firecracker going off. We looked down and saw smoke going off, people screaming and running away from the scene. It was pretty scary," Young said.
Philadelphia police say a tow truck driver had attempted to repossess a silver Toyota minivan by the Santana Food Market without realizing a woman was inside.
The woman reportedly got out of the car, started arguing with the tow truck driver, and called her 32-year-old boyfriend to the scene.
"We heard a lady screaming her head off down the street," said Young. "I guess he came, and the situation escalated; now there is someone dead."
Police say when the boyfriend arrived, he pistol-whipped the tow truck driver several times; then, according to investigators, the two started shooting at each other.
The boyfriend later died at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, and a neighborhood dog, caught in the crossfire, was also killed.
"It's sad that it happened. Things didn't have to turn out that way. It's unfortunate that it did," said Young.
Investigators laid out 27 markers for ballistic evidence, which includes shell casings and fragments, and police have recovered weapons from both men.
"It makes you realize that anything can happen at anytime... it's a beautiful summer day, people are walking, going to work," said Gaby Heit, who lives nearby.
Police say after arguing with the car's owner, the driver called the bank to confirm that car payments had not been made. He was taken in for questioning but at this time, there have been no arrests made or charges filed.
