Attempted looter shot and killed by gun shop owner

As concerns over looting heightened in Philadelphia neighborhoods yesterday, a gun shop owner shot and killed a man who was trying to break into his shop early Tuesday morning.

The owner of Firing Line Inc. was spending the night inside his shop on South Front Street in the South Philadelphia neighborhood. He was protecting his shop after there had been several attempted break-ins over the previous few nights, according to NBC10 Philadelphia.

The police said the owner was monitoring his surveillance camera when he saw three or four people trying to break in around 4 a.m. The would-be thieves used bolt cutters on the gate, and a broken lock was later seen on the ground.

The group continued to smash in the back door, police said. When they made their way up the stairs, the owner opened fire and shot one of the men in the head.

Police said that man died in the store while the others ran off. Police found a gun that did not belong to the shop owner, which they believe was brought by those who broke in.

A person with gun shot wounds later appeared at the Jefferson University Hospital, which investigators think could possibly be connected with the incident. The person had been shot in the shoulder.

This shop owner is not the only Philadelphia local to attempt to protect property with force.

Josh Albert posted to Twitter yesterday, saying "There are now two all white armed vigilante groups roaming Fishtown with the blessing of the Philadelphia Police."

However, the nearby Kensington neighborhood, already an area suffering under the opioid epidemic, had already gone up in flames during lawless riots.

Police have been receiving thousands of emergency calls regarding burglaries, looting, and vandalism in recent days, and Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small noted that "We understand why."

Though the store owner was not injured, he was taken in for questioning. The police will use the surveillance footage to assist in the investigation.

The police noted that those who broke into the gun shop would probably be charged with burglary, though it could be chalked up to looting with the current climate of the city at the moment.