A 43-year-old man was fatally shot Tuesday on his way to a prayer service at his mosque in north Philadelphia in what police described as an “execution-type homicide.”
Surveillance footage showed Jefferson walking toward the mosque with another man around 5 p.m. before a shooter ran up behind them and opened fire from a few feet away, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters on Tuesday.
Jefferson could then be seen falling to the ground as the shooter stood over him and continued to fire a total of 17 shots at him, according to Small.
The shooter then got into a dark sedan before driving off, Smalls said. Authorities discovered Jefferson with a gunshot wound to the head and several gunshot wounds to his torso. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
No suspect has been identified or motive has been released. The Philadelphia Police Department told HuffPost in an email on Wednesday that it had no further updates.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) addressed the incident on social media, saying that he’s been to Al-Aqsa Islamic Society several times and is praying for the community.
“Violence outside of a house of worship is deeply painful and traumatizing for those simply showing up to worship and practice their faith,” he said.
