Philly homeowner fatally shoots alleged trespasser who threw brick through window of his SUV

A Philadelphia homeowner on Wednesday night fatally shot an alleged trespasser who threw a brick through the window of his Alpha Romeo SUV, police told WPVI-TV.

What are the details?

Police got a 911 call about gunshots in the 4400 block of Fairmount Avenue just after 10:30 p.m., the station said, after which they found a shot 23-year-old man lying between two homes.

KYW-TV reported that he was hit with three gunshots to his chest and torso.

The man was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, WPVI said. He was in very critical condition and was pronounced dead about an hour later, KYW reported.

Police told WPVI the 23-year-old man allegedly entered a rear fenced-in area of a home on Fairmount Avenue and then threw a brick through the window of a 2018 Alfa Romeo SUV that was parked in the home's back yard.

Authorities added to WPVI that the 49-year-old homeowner heard the noise and went outside to confront the trespasser, after which he shot the 23-year-old man.

"We believe the homeowner fired at least three shots from a semi-automatic weapon," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told WPVI. "We found three spent shell casings in the backyard area."

Small added to KYW that "preliminary information" indicates the homeowner "does have a permit to carry a weapon" and that "we believe that he was in his back yard when he confronted the 23-year-old, who broke into his vehicle using that brick, and the vehicle is inside of the enclosed back yard of the 49-year-old homeowner. But detectives are talking to that homeowner right now.”

Police told KYW they found a brick inside the homeowner’s vehicle, surrounded by freshly shattered glass.

The 23-year-old man ran about half a block from the scene before collapsing, Small told WPVI. Officers have not yet identified him, KYW said.

However, Small told WPVI that police know the 23-year-old man, and that his last known address is two blocks from where the shooting took place.

Anything else?

Police have the homeowner's gun, KYW reported, adding that he's fully cooperating with their investigation.

Small noted to WPVI that police got several calls prior to the shooting about a masked man trespassing behind homes in the area — and that one call indicated a man was breaking into a vehicle.

"We believe these calls are related to the shooting," Small noted to WPVI.