Peephole Shooting Kills 1 in Philadelphia
A peephole shooting in the East Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania left one man dead Sunday night, according to reports. A currently unidentified 29-year-old man was shot dead in his apartment, and the assailant is still at large.
The peephole shooting occurred around midnight Sunday night, his family members also living at the home told authorities. After hearing the knock at the door, the victim approached and used his peephole, which was improvised and at the side of the door. Suddenly, shots rang out.
"The 29-year-old victim then looked through a peephole on the side of the door. When he was looking through this peephole at least two shots were fired," Philadelphia Chief Inspector Scott Small said in a statement.
The shooter then fled on foot. Police speculated that the assailant may have had an accomplice during the attack, but have not released any information on how far the investigation has progressed.
The 29-year-old Philadelphia man was shot once in the face during the peephole shooting. He was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency workers, UPI reported.
Chief Small confirmed at least two shots were fired through the peephole from outside of the home and that the shooter never entered inside.
While authorities lack a motive or suspects for the killing, some are speculating that the Philadelphia man was the victim of randomized violence- similar to the "knockout game" of last year. In that case, there is something you can do: install a "smart peephole" that sends a live feed to your phone, so you never risk being attacked while looking through the peephole.