2 Women Shot, Killed Inside Illegal Speakeasy In North Philadelphia, Police Say
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Police have now identified the two women who were shot and killed inside an illegal speakeasy on Thursday night in North Philadelphia. One of them was a mother of six.
Eyewitness News spoke to the heartbroken grandfather of Irene McNair. He didn't want to be identified but said he has a message to his granddaughter's killer.
"Turn yourself in. If you were man enough to pull that trigger, to kill two innocent women, you should be man enough to suffer your consequences," he said.
A makeshift memorial now stands on the steps of an abandoned church that had been used as an illegal speakeasy at 19th Street and Ridge Avenue in North Philadelphia after a shooting killed two women.
Police identified the victims as 56-year-old Constance Marshall, whose family says she was a caretaker, and 31-year-old McNair, who was a mother of six children.
Their photos were provided to Eyewitness News by friends.
"I never knew nothing bad about either one of them. They were both beautiful people," said Edward Small, a friend of the victims.
Officers say a gunman fired several shots from a sidewalk and into the building around 7:45 Thursday night.
"We believe the door may have been partially open and struck both of these females that were just inside of the property," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Just last month, the city's License and Inspections office had posted a cease operations order on the building after an investigation found alcohol had been illegally served there. Photos show officials even boarded up the property.
And now the two women killed are a part of a troubling trend in Philadelphia. The number of females killed in Philadelphia stands at 58 year-to-date. That's the highest number in recent years.
"Years ago, you couldn't hear of a child getting killed or a woman getting killed," one man said.
No arrests have been made. Police haven't said if either of the women had been targeted.
McNair's grandfather believes she may have been targeted.
For a list of gun violence resources in Philadelphia, click here.
