A suspect in three shootings — two of which were deadly — in Philadelphia’s Hunting Park community targeted his victims because they were gay, law enforcement sources told NBC10. <\/p>\n
On Thursday morning, police said that investigators are hoping to track down 21-year-old Jahylin Melchur, in connection with a pair of deadly shootings — as well as a third shooting in which a victim survived — that happened over the span of a few weeks. <\/p>\n
The three incidents, officials said, happened between Friday, May 29, 2026, and Saturday, June 20, 2026, all in the area of Hunting Park.<\/p>\n
Law enforcement sources told NBC10 the victims were gay and that Melchur targeted them because of their sexuality. <\/p>\n
Man injured in shooting during robbery<\/p>\n
Philadelphia Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said that the first shooting under investigation happened at about 9:50 p.m. on May 29, 2026, on the 1000 block of West Lycoming Street.<\/p>\n
In this incident, a 55-year-old man was found laying on the street next to his car suffering from gunshot wounds to his side and elbow, officials said.<\/p>\n
The victim told police that someone walked up to him and announced a robbery before shooting at him, Vanore said.<\/p>\n
Man killed in shooting near baseball field<\/p>\n
The second shooting happened just after 10 p.m. on Saturday, June 20, according to the Philadelphia Police Department.<\/p>\n
When officers arrived to the scene near a baseball field along the 900 block of West Hunting Park Avenue, they\u00a0found 45-year-old Martin Higgins suffering from several gunshot wounds<\/a>\u00a0to his back, Vanore said.<\/p>\n Higgins was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics at 10:41 p.m., officials have said. <\/p>\n Man dies after being shot in the back<\/p>\n