A woman was fatally shot early Tuesday after a gun was fired through the front door of an apartment during a reported break-in at a building on Girard Avenue in North Philadelphia, police said.
Officers were called to the apartment complex in the 1500 block of Girard Avenue shortly after 3 a.m. following a report of a break-in. When they arrived, Philadelphia police said they heard a gunshot coming from inside the building.
They then found a woman, believed to be in her 50s, lying in a first-floor hallway with severe injuries. She had been shot in the chest, according to preliminary information provided by police.
Investigators found a single bullet hole in the steel door of a nearby apartment. Police said the door was locked and required a passcode to open. It also did not have a window or peephole, meaning someone inside could not see who was standing outside.
Chief Inspector Scott Small said investigators believe the fatal shot came from inside the apartment and passed through the closed door.
The injured woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead at about 3:30 a.m., police said.
Inside the apartment was another woman, also believed to be in her 50s, who lived there. Police said she was believed to have fired the gun and was cooperating with investigators. A handgun was recovered from the apartment.
Investigators were working to determine why the victim was at the building and what led to the shooting. Preliminary information indicated that she may have been trying to enter the apartment when the shot was fired through the door.
Police were also examining surveillance footage from the building. The entire incident was reportedly captured on security cameras, which investigators are expected to use as they piece together what happened before and during the shooting.
A security guard who had interacted with the victim shortly before the shooting was also taken to police headquarters for questioning.
At the time of the initial investigation, police planned to obtain a search warrant for the apartment as they worked to establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Philadelphia police continue to investigate the circumstances of the woman’s death. No additional details about possible charges or the relationship between the two women had been confirmed in the information available.
