Man killed in Walnut St. shootout

JOSHUA GOLDWERT and SHELLEY TABOR A man was shot and killed in front of the McDonald's restaurant at 40th and Walnut streets after a high speed car chase last night. The unidentified victim was pronounced dead at 10:49 p.m., 24 minutes after police brought him to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. University and Philadelphia Police released only sketchy details last night. Eyewitness accounts conflict, but a rough picture of what happened has emerged. Shooting erupted at approximately 10:25 p.m. in front of McDonald's. A man in a white sweatsuit got out of his 1985 black Chevrolet Blazer parked on 40th Street and stood on the corner of 40th and Walnut streets, eyewitnesses said. The man then fired a semi-automatic weapon at a blue Lincoln Mark VII, which was on Walnut Street facing west. After the driver of the Lincoln was shot, he turned and began driving his car down 40th Street towards Smokey Joe's Tavern. After he spotted a police officer, he backed up onto Walnut Street and began moving west. At this point, the man who fired the shots at the Lincoln got into his Blazer and followed the Lincoln west on Walnut Street. The victim's car stopped in the middle of the left lane at the intersection of 42nd and Walnut streets with a bullet hole in the rear passenger side window and a flat right rear tire. It is unclear whether the police stopped the Lincoln or if the driver pulled over himself. The Blazer continued driving on Walnut Street, witnesses said. Police then took the driver of the Lincoln to HUP in the back seat of a police car. According to Philadelphia Police Homicide Division Lieutenant Robert Hicks, no suspects were found last night. Around 25 city and University officers arrived at the 42nd and Walnut streets location soon after the Lincoln stopped. Police officers brought at least one suspect to the scene and several witnesses to identify the suspect, but nobody taken to 42nd and Walnut streets was deemed involved in the incident and all were released immediately. Soon after the Walnut Street incident, the officers reported an accident over the police scanner at 48th and Wyalusing streets also involving a black Blazer. They brought the driver of the Blazer to 42nd and Walnut streets, but released him after witnesses said he was not involved. According to conversations between squad cars on the police scanner last night, no weapons were recovered from either corner, although many bullet shells were seen at 40th and Walnut streets. The conversations between officers immediately after the incident indicated that there was some confusion about what had occurred. At some point, an officer requested that chalk be sent to 40th and Walnut streets, and later, officers were unsure if anyone had been injured in the shooting. According to eyewitness College senior Larry Altenburg, who was in Baskin Robbins at the time of the incident, the two cars were stopped in front of the store before the shooting. Altenburg said the men in the cars began yelling at each other and then he heard approximately eight gun shots. "[The gun shots] sounded like a semi-automatic nine millimeter gun that I used to shoot in the Air Force," Altenburg said. "I yelled to everybody to get down." Altenburg said he saw shots between the cars as well. Altenburg said he then called 911. Another eyewitness who did not want to be identified said the man in a white sweat suit fired shots from the corner of McDonald's towards Burger King across the street. The witness, who was standing in the parking lot next to The Daily Pennsylvanian building at 4015 Walnut Street, said he "hit the deck" when he heard the shots. He added that he then heard car tires squealing. College senior John Grugen said he heard "automatic gunfire" from inside his house at 4036 Walnut Street and then looked out his window. According to Grugen and his housemate Engineering senior Joel Frauenhein, the Lincoln drove down 40th Street towards Smokey Joe's when it spotted a police car. Grugen said the Lincoln backed up onto Walnut Street, at which point the Blazer turned onto Walnut Street to follow the Lincoln. Grugen said he then heard "many shots." Several nine millimeter bullet shells were found on the sidewalk at the corner of 40th and Walnut streets. The Blazer's lights were off during the shooting, Grugen added. After the shooting, many University and Philadelphia police officers in uniform and plain clothes arrived at the scene. In addition, traffic was slowed almost to a halt at 42nd and Walnut Streets. The sidewalk around McDonald's was blocked off by police until at least 1:30 a.m. last night. Philadelphia Police Sergeant McCorriston said that when police arrived at 42nd and Walnut streets, the victim in the Lincoln was shot and unconsious. Police immediately took the victim to HUP.

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