Philadelphia Police are looking for two suspects who they say shot a man and a dog in Kensington.
The shooting happened shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday night on the 2400 block of Kensington Avenue.
Police say the victim was camping out between two homes when the gunmen approached, robbed him and then shot him multiple times.
He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
A dog that belonged to someone else in the encampment was also shot and died, police say.
Police believe this is part of a larger, disturbing pattern where gunmen deliberately prey on people experiencing homelessness.
“Based on the information we have so far, we also believe that they have been preying on the homeless community. Possibly seeing them as easy targets for money or possibly even drugs. So we want to identify these individuals as quickly as possible and get them off the streets,” Inspector D F Pace said.
Detectives say they will go through surveillance video in the area to try to track down the two gunmen.
Anyone with information regarding this is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department or submit an anonymous tip by calling the PPD Tip Line at 215-686-TIPS (8477).
Scott Hezlep
contributed to this report.