A gunman burst into a Wynnefield Heights apartment overnight and killed a man in a woman's bed in what Philadelphia police called a likely love triangle shooting.
"We believe this may have been a love triangle, at this point," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
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WATCH HEREOfficers rushed to an apartment inside The Helston along Conshohocken Avenue around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 22, 2025, to find a 35-year-old man shot in the head and chest in a bed, Small said.
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SIGN UP Medics pronounced the man dead on the scene a short time later, Small said.
"The scene inside the apartment is the victim laying in the bed and four spent shell casings in the bedroom," Small said.
It appeared the shooter "stood very, very close to this victim when the four shots were fired," Small said. "He appears to be the intended target."
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The shooting took place inside the woman's apartment, where some furniture and things were overturned, Small said.
A believed "love triangle" appeared to be a motive for the deadly shooting, Small said.
"We believe the female -- who is a witness -- had a relationship with both of these males," Small said.
After the shooting the suspected gunman dragged the woman from her apartment," Small said. She, however, didn't suffer injuries that required hospitalization.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
As police investigated the deadly shooting, they got a 911 call that the suspected shooter was outside the apartment complex next door, Small said.
Officers quickly arrested the man and the witness identified the 33-year-old as the shooter, police said.
Investigators searched a nearby wooded area for a semiautomatic gun that investigators believe the gunman used in the shooting, Small said.
No charges were initially announced against the suspected shooter, Small said.
No one allegedly involved was immediately identified.
This is the latest homicide in Philadelphia as the city is dealing with a recent uptick in killings. However, according to police data, the year-to-date total of 83 homicides is down about 17% from last year and the lowest total dating back to at least 2007.
