No Arrests Made After Homicide Suspect Reportedly Seen Going Into Apartment Building In Spring Garden
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Residents of a large apartment building in Philadelphia's Spring Garden neighborhood were in suspense Tuesday as police entered the building looking for a murder suspect. The suspect is connected to a deadly shooting that happened a few blocks from the building on Memorial Day.
Twenty-four hours after a double homicide in Spring Garden, it's clear that police are hot on the trail of a suspect, but he somehow managed to elude them this afternoon.
The SWAT team, homicide detectives and lots of backup swarmed the building near 18th and Spring Garden Streets in hopes of capturing a wanted suspect.
"Heard banging on the doors and police had a search warrant, then more banging," one man said. "I guess the apartment next to mine."
This lockdown was the result of the Memorial Day double homicide at 16th and Brandywine Streets. The suspect, known to stay in a 12th-floor apartment in the Northwest Tower, was spotted by an apartment manager.
"We didn't know if he was going up to the 12th floor so to err on the side of caution, we barricaded while we searched for the individual," Capt. Jason Smith said.
The entire block was on lockdown.
"When I first came down with the dog and saw SWAT, I knew I needed to get as far away from here as possible," Fairmount resident Chris Stallings said.
A search warrant was issued and evidence from the apartment was recovered. Police aren't getting into specifics of what the items were, but say they do have sufficient evidence to seek an arrest warrant for the suspect.
"We have a very strong direction in this homicide, so I'm gonna say more than likely we'll have an arrest warrant," Smith said.
Investigators say yesterday's shooting was narcotics-related. The victim inside the Chevy Malibu was shot in the head.
The second victim was found feet away and two firearms were recovered from the vehicle.
Detectives credit the fast turnaround to the overwhelming number of eyewitness accounts and assistance from the public.
"Unlike many of our homicides, we received an overwhelming amount of support from the public," Smith said.
Eyewitness News is told police are working on an arrest warrant for the suspect. In the meantime, they say he may be armed and should be considered dangerous.
In addition, there may be a second individual involved but for now, they are focused on the person they believe to be the shooter.
