Police hunt for possible suspect in shooting case

Police say one suspect may have committed other recent area crimes. Police are examining the possibility that the man who shot College senior James McCormack during a failed carjacking Monday night is also responsible for numerous recent robberies in the area. While University and Philadelphia police continue their search for the assailant, University Police Det. Commander Tom King refused to provide further information about the possible suspect, explaining that additional details may jeopardize the investigation. "We are very close to bringing this to a successful close," King said. The man who shot McCormack on the 4200 block of Pine Street may be the same person sought by Philadelphia Police detectives in connection with a string of recent robberies, he said. "One promising avenue is a suspect that [Philadelphia police] have in mind for several robberies, including one a few days ago in the same general area," King said. He added that the University Police Department is "aggressively maintaining the level of patrol and pursuing several positive leads" in the shooting. A source close to the investigation said an arrest is imminent would probably occur "by the end of the week." Police described the assailant as a 25-to-35-year-old black man wearing a green army jacket with a hood at the time of the shooting. The man appears "dirty looking" and has a "scruffy beard," mustache and yellow-looking eyes, police said. The incident began at about 9:30 p.m. Monday, when a man approached McCormack -- who was standing at the rear of his silver Ford Taurus -- and demanded his car keys, according to police. It is unclear exactly what happened next. Police said the assailant shot McCormack in the abdomen with a short-barreled silver revolver when he did not turn over the keys. The assailant then fled west on Pine Street, south on 43rd Street and finally west on Osage Avenue, witnesses told police. Witnesses then lost track of him, police said. Neighbors recalled hearing a bullet, followed immediately by loud screams. First-year Medical student Nicole Walker said she ran upstairs to call the police but heard sirens before she even got to the telephone. The bullet entered McCormack slightly above his beltline and was deflected into his thigh, according to police. He was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania immediately after the incident, where doctors decided not to perform surgery. McCormack was released from HUP yesterday at about 7:30 p.m. He will spend the next few days recovering before possibly returning to classes sometime next week.

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