Man killed execution-style outside North Philadelphia Mosque

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL/AP) — A man was ambushed, shot, and killed while outside a North Philadelphia mosque Tuesday afternoon, police said.

It happened just before 5 p.m. on the 1500 block of Germantown Avenue near Jefferson Street in North Philadelphia.

Police identified the victim Wednesday as 43-year-old Raheem Jefferson of North Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said surveillance footage shows Jefferson walking with another male to the Al-Aqsa Islamic Society just before 5 p.m. when the shooter ran up behind them and started firing shots at the victim, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Small said the shooter kept firing at Jefferson execution-style even after he was on the ground. The shooter then fled the parking lot in a vehicle.

“Clearly an execution-type homicide,” Small said.

The suspect fired off 17 shots from a large-caliber semiautomatic weapon during the shooting, according to Small.

Responding officers found Jefferson unresponsive lying in the parking lot with gunshot wounds to his head, chest, and torso, according to police.

Jefferson was taken to Temple Hospital, where he was pronounced dead just before 5:15 p.m.

17 spent shell casings were found in the parking lot from Small said.

The person with the victim was not hurt, Small said.

A weapon hasn’t been recovered. No arrests have been made and a motive is still unknown.

Police said they’re talking to witnesses and reviewing other surveillance footage.

Philadelphia police are offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest of the shooter.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or call/text the PPD’s tipline at 215-686-TIPS.

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