Man, 45, killed in Mayfair shooting, 12-year-old son witnesses: police

A fatal shooting in Mayfair has dampened the holiday mood just one day before Thanksgiving. 

According to Philadelphia police, the shooting occurred at the 3100 block of Wellington Street at around 8:15 A.M. on Wednesday at a time when kids were on their way to school. 

They say a 45-year-old man was shot once in the left side of his chest. 

Police transported him to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital where he was later pronounced dead by doctors. 

Officials say the suspect is known, but no arrests have been made and no weapons were recovered at the scene. 

FOX 29’s Cheyenne Corin visited the area of the incident where Mayfair locals expressed their frustration with gun violence. 

Sources tell Corin that the victim’s 12-year-old son was riding in his father’s work truck on the way to school, as neighbors recalled them doing daily, when gunshots sprang into the vehicle and the boy noticed his father was unresponsive. 

A couple said they stayed with the 12-year-old until his mom arrived at the devastating scene. 

"The kid was in the car," said a bystander. "12-year-old kid was sitting in the car and heard the gunshots. He said he put his head down. He looked up and couldn't see his dad. He got out, and his dad was laying in the street."

John Strause, one of the victim’s neighbors, rushed to the area after receiving an alarming call from his 80-year-old mother who lives on the corner. 

"She was crying and upset, you know, a guy died right in front of her house," said Strause.

"Keep the kid and his family in your prayers because it's tough," said the helpful bystander. "It's the day before the holiday and you know, now this kid's not going to have a father anymore."