A 22-year-old Penn State student died after being shot a half block from his home in South Philadelphia early Saturday, police said.
Read more Brandon Marsh sparks Phillies’ offensive surge in 9-5 series finale win over White Sox
Police said officers from the 1st District responded at 1:32 a.m. to a radio call for a person with a gun on the 1900 block of Durfor Street. They found William J. Schmidt lying in the street with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said.
Schmidt was returning home from a local bar where he had been watching the NBA Finals with friends, according to his father, 6abc reported.
Surveillance cameras captured video that appeared to show the moments before the shooting, 6abc reported. A man can be seen throwing a cell phone in one video, and seconds later, another man ran around a corner with Schmidt chasing him, before the gunman turned around and shot him, according to another video.
Police took Schmidt to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:47 a.m.
Schmidt lived on the 2300 block of South 20th Street.
Neighbors expressed sadness over Schmidt’s death.
Sitting on her porch, Tara Valdez, 32, said she felt a sense of loss.
Her siblings, she said, grew up playing with him along Durfor Street.
“He was a good person, a really good kid who was never in trouble,” Valdez said. “He always brought joy with him and made it a point to include everyone, even as a kid.”
When Valdez learned of the tragedy Saturday morning, she was in a state of disbelief.
She had seen Schmidt walking by Friday morning, she said, and they waved at each other.
“I’m sad I didn’t talk to him,” she said. “His whole family are very nice people, and they are hurting now.”
Read more Philly’s 2026 Pride took over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Jasmine Alleger, 39, said the sense of living in a safe neighborhood was shattered.
Alleger, who has lived a couple houses down from Schmidt’s house for the last six years, didn’t know him personally. But, people at her gym, she said, spoke kindly about his family on Sunday morning.
“Now all I can think about is his mom waking up without her son, for literally no reason,” Alleger said. “I’m so sorry that people are so evil; it’s so senseless.”
Schmidt was a fourth-semester student studying digital journalism and media at the Penn State World Campus, the university’s online campus.
“We are heartbroken over the tragic death of William Schmidt, and we share our deepest condolences with his family and friends,” the statement said.
The university said its staff is reaching out to Schmidt’s family to provide support and offering counseling to students in need.
Police urged anyone with information regarding the incident to contact the homicide unit at 215-686-3334 or submit an anonymous tip by calling or texting 215-686-TIPS (8477).
Read more A 25-year-old man was shot and wounded Sunday morning at a Penn’s Landing hotel, police said