A teen is arrested in the death of an 18-year-old who was shot 13 times in Overbrook
Steve Green, 18, was killed near the Tustin Playground in Overbrook, not far from his home,
A 17-year-old male has been charged in the weekend slaying of 18-year-old Steve Green, who was shot 13 times in Overbrook on Saturday, police said Monday.
Green, of the 2000 block of Upland Way, was gunned down at 60th Street and Clifford Terrance, near the Tustin Playground in Overbrook not far from his home, police said. Just after 7 p.m., police said, Green was shot three times in the head, four times in the chest, and three times each in each leg. Medics rushed him to Lankenau Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead minutes later.
Surveillance camera footage showed three males chasing Green, with one opening fire, before they ran into a house in the 6000 block of Hazelhurst Street, just after the shooting, police said.
That block was secured and the house was searched Saturday evening, police said, but the suspects were not found.
On Monday, department officials said Gary Taylor, 17, who lives in the 6000 block of Hazelhurst Street, had turned himself in to police, accompanied by his parents, and was charged with murder and related counts.
A man who answered the door at the home where Taylor lives declined to comment Monday.
Police did not release a motive for the crime.
Oscar Jenkins, 49, who lives on the block, said he was saddened to learn of Taylor’s arrest. He said the teen comes from a good family and had never been in trouble as far as he knew.
Jenkins said Taylor’s mother has a Ph.D. and works for the School District of Philadelphia, and his father is active in the family’s church.
“I thought he was a good kid,” said Jenkins. “... I’ve never seen him as aggressive.
“He’s a good kid. Not loud. Just, ‘How you doing Mr. Oscar?’ ” Jenkins said. “He probably just got caught up.”
Tustin Playground, where the shooting took place, has become a haven for teens and young adults — and sometimes, a backdrop for crime, Jenkins said, adding, “The playground is supposed to be for the children, not that.”