In a shocking incident that unfolded in West Philadelphia on Tuesday, an 88-year-old U.S. Air Force veteran was brutally murdered in his vehicle.
The victim's family has alleged that the unidentified assailant had been lying in wait for him and executed the attack in broad daylight, insisting that the act was not random.
The victim, identified as Richard Butler by his family, was reportedly shot twice in the chest around 1:35 p.m. while seated in his white Hyundai Santa Fe, as per NBC 10 Philadelphia. The incident occurred on the 100 block of North Dewey Street, shortly after Butler had dropped off his girlfriend at her residence. Despite being critically wounded, Butler attempted to flee the scene in his vehicle, which eventually came to a halt on a sidewalk.
Eyewitnesses to the horrifying incident reportedly tried to pry open Butler's vehicle with a tire iron in a desperate bid to assist him after the shooting, according to anonymous sources cited by NBC 10. ABC Philadelphia reported that the elderly veteran was rushed to Penn Presbyterian Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:56 p.m.
Family members of the slain veteran informed NBC 10 that a car had been stationed near the intersection of Dewey and Arch Streets for a significant duration before Butler's arrival. They alleged that the suspect exited this car, sprinted towards Butler's SUV, and shot him twice in the chest.
Expressing his grief, Orlando Butler, the veteran's son, said, "This is so sad, that something like this could happen. And we were just sitting eating dinner together last night, having a ball and talking."
In a video posted on social media, Minette Finn, Butler's great-niece, stated that the veteran was killed in "broad daylight" while he was "out doing his normal routine." She said, "Goes to the park everyday, stops at Wawa. In his car, defenseless. You waited for him. You waited for this man. This wasn't a random act."
Finn described her great-uncle as a "brother to everyone" and emphasized that he was universally loved. She expressed the family's desperate need for answers, questioning why anyone would target a beloved elderly veteran. "If you get that answer to that question, you guys let us know," Finn said. "Because that's what we want to know why," she added, voicing the family's anguish.
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