Man Wanted For Shooting 3, Killing 2, At Same Philly Park Weeks Apart: Police

PHILADELPHIA — Two men were killed and another was injured in three separate shootings in and around a Philadelphia park. Police are searching for a man who they say is responsible for all three.

The shootings happened over the past month in the area of Hunting Park in North Philadelphia, police said. The incidents include two homicides in recent days.

"All three incidents are perpetrated very similarly in the same geographic area," said Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanor. "So, we are believing now they're all connected."

First Shooting

Police responded to the first shooting May 29 on the 1000 block of West Lycoming Street. A man in his 50s was lying on the street next to his car after suffering gunshot wounds to his side and elbow, authorities said.

The victim told police that someone walked up to him and announced a robbery before the shooting.

Second Shooting

The second shooting was reported around 10 p.m. June 20, when a man was shot inside the park, near the baseball field.

The victim — Martin Higgins, 45 — was shot multiple times in the torso. He was unresponsive at the scene and pronounced dead by medics at 10:41 p.m.

Third Shooting

A third shooting was reported Friday, when a man was shot in the back at the park. The victim was shot in the back around the 1200 block of West Hunting Park Avenue, police said.

He was brought to Temple University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 11:29 p.m.

Police withheld the victim's identity.

The Suspect

On Monday, police shared photos of the suspect, whom Vanore described the suspect as a man in his late teens or early 20s with tattoos on his wrists.

The unidentified suspect rode SEPTA's Broad Street Line before and after each incident and wore jackets of various colors.

One jacket had this design, police said:

Anyone with information can contact the Philadelphia Police Department Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 215-686-TIPS (8477).