Philadelphia’s first homicide of 2019 took place just 12 minutes after the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Day when a bullet fatally struck a man in the head.
Police say the victim of the shooting, which took place in the city’s Kensington neighborhood not even 15 minutes into the new year, had been shot in the head, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Police have not yet identified the suspect or pinned down a motive for the crime.
Authorities say they are reviewing surveillance footage from area security cameras to search for leads, and are encouraging members of the public who have information on the suspect to call 215-686-TIPS.
A total of 351 homicides took place in Philadelphia in 2018, marking the highest number of homicides in the city since 2007, according to the Philadelphia Police Department’s website.
The city of brotherly love recorded more homicides in 2018 than New York City, which recorded 287 killings in that year.
Philadelphia’s police chief said in December 2018 that drugs were to blame for the rise in the city’s homicide rate.
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