for BigTrial.net
Shortly before 9 p.m. last night, a cop walking a beat heard gunshots inside Christmas Village, an outdoor peddler's market currently under construction in Love Park, at 15th and JFK.
The cop subsequently discovered a 29 year-old white male from Lancaster County who had been shot in the head, neck and stomach, according to CBS3.
The victim, who was seen just an hour earlier walking around Love Park with a blue backpack, was transported to Jefferson University Hospital where he was subsequently pronounced dead.
"We found two spent shell casings on the sidewalk at the intersection of 15th and JFK, not too far from where the victim was lying," Chief Inspector Scott Small told ABC6.
The annual peddler's village billed as Philadelphia's authentic German market, was scheduled to open Nov. 24th. It features some 80 vendors in wooden booths serving up waffles, gingerbread, bratwurst and mulled wine, along with toys and holiday decorations and trinkets on sale, and free pictures for kids who want to pose with Phil the Reindeer, the market's official mascot.
But Phil the Reindeer was nowhere in sight last night as the cops wound up cordoning off the village with yellow police tape.
A witness told the cops that the suspect, a black male dressed in all-dark clothing, got into a Jeep that was festively decorated with green wheels and green lights, and was last seen traveling west on JFK Boulevard toward 16th Street.
Police sources said the suspect was employed at the village as a security guard.
According to the source, the suspect, who apparently got into an argument with the victim, left the village, and retrieved a gun out of his car, before he returned to fire the fatal shots.
The suspect, identified Gregory Thomas, 43, of Gray's Ferry, has been charged with murder.
Police said Thomas was an employee of Ingage Security, a firm hired by the city of Philadelphia to provide security at the Christmas Village.
According to the firm's website, Ingage provides secuirty for facilities & operations managers, building owners, property management companies, and branch managers.
"They all call on lngage to provide cohesive security solutions to keep their facilities safe, protect their stakeholders and mitigate potential threats," the company's website proclaims. "As a regional industry leader, we are known for our expertise, our staff, industry-leading training, cutting-edge quality control and reporting tools, and especially our intense focus on customer service and accountability, all of which unite to deliver top-shelf results."
According to that website, the firm provides security for special events, music festivals, concerts and parades. The firm bragged about its "commitment to providing the best possible guest experience along with safety" at city events that include Wawa Welcome America, Made in America, the 6abc Dunkin Donuts Thanksgiving Day Parade, various cultural festivals, the American Ninja Warrior and the 2017 NFL Draft.a
But somebody screwed up when they hired Gregory Thomas. He's got six prior arrests for narcotics, and as a convicted felon, was not allowed to carry a gun.
Police said that after Thomas fled the scene, his supervisor tracked him down, went to his house and picked him up. And then the supervisor drove Thomas to the police, where he surrendered.
According to the cops, Thomas said he was trying to secure the perimeter of the Christmas Village, which is closed and under construction, when the victim, who may have been mentally ill, kept pestering him to gain entrance into the site.
An argument allegedly evolved into a physical confrontation, where, Thomas claimed, the victim swung a backpack at him that had a piece of wood inside, allegedly striking Thomas in the head.
That's when Thomas decided to take matters into his own hands. Instead of calling cops, who were on site, Thomas went to his Jeep, retrieved a gun, and proceeded to shoot and kill the victim.
Police are not revealing the identity of the victim because his next-of-kin have not been notified yet.
The city's official body count as of last night now stands at 473 murders, up 11% from last year's near record of 499 murders.
The city's official record for annual murders was 500, set back in 1990. At the current pace, the city will set a new record this year with 553 murders.
On top of that, the city has another 161 dead bodies that the cops refer to as "S jobs," for "suspicious" deaths.
According to a police spokesperson, the S Jobs are known formally as "Special Assignments." The spokesperson defined S Jobs as "sudden death investigations, assistant to other law enforcement agencies, the killing of a civilian, intimidation of a witness, missing persons with suspicious circumstances, and other type incidents investigated by Homicide that are not [or not yet] classified as murders."
Last night's murder was undoubtedly a blemish on the holiday village that's scheduled to be open until Christmas Eve, when the city will probably have set a new record for murders.
The setting of the latest homicide, in Center City's Love Park, long a tourist attraction, set off alarm bells inside adjacent City Hall.
The Christmas Village murder was spectacularly bad timing for Mayor Kenney, and Police Commissioner Outlaw, who are expected to speak today at a regularly scheduled press conference at 1 p.m. to explain how the city is doing in its war on gun violence.
Expect the requisite handwringing from Kenney and Outlaw, who have repeatedly demonstrated that they are only capable of mouthing platitudes, and passing the buck, as they remain clueless about how to stop the bloodshed.