In another example of self-defense in Philadelphia, a resident fatally shot an armed would-be robber while he was outside smoking a cigarette on Wednesday night, Philadelphia Police said. The South Philadelphia resident was licensed to carry.
“It looked like a robbery victim, at this time, turned the tables on a would-be robber and shot him in the head,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC 10.
The incident took place shortly after 11:30 pm on Wednesday near Moyamensing Avenue. A 24-year-old man was smoking outside his home when an Asian man approached him while riding a bike, law enforcement said. The man then pulled out a gun and “announced a robbery.”
The Philadelphia resident then reportedly pulled out his own licensed handgun and shot the assailant once in the head. Despite being shot, the would-be robber managed to fire two shots of his own, both of which failed to hit the resident.
“According to the 24-year-old who fired the shot, the perpetrator, after being shot in the head, pulled his gun and fired one or two shots, but did not strike the 24-year-old who fired the initial shot,” Small said.
Responding officers found a 30-year-old male who had been shot in the head. He was transported to an area hospital and died early Thursday morning; NBC 10 reported.
Two guns were recovered from the scene. No charges have been filed and the investigation is ongoing.
Philadelphia — which set a record for homicides in 2021 — has seen a slight drop in its murder rate. At the same time, residents applying for concealed carry permits has exploded.
From Philadelphia Magazine:
“From 2017 through 2020, the number of license-to-carry applications in Philadelphia held about steady, ranging between 11,049 and 11,814 applications each year. But in 2021, 70,789 people applied for licenses to carry guns.” And over 90% of those applications were approved.”
Philadelphia has been the site of multiple high-profile self-defense shootings in recent months. In January, an Uber driver shot a would-be carjacker while another man fatally shot two would-be robbers in an incident last month.
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