On Tuesday afternoon in West Philadelphia, a U.S. Air Force veteran described as the community’s patriarch was shot as he sat in his car as part of his daily routine.
Richard Butler, 88, was shot twice in the chest in the 100 block of North Dewey Street after dropping his girlfriend off at his home around 1:30 p.m.
At the time of the hit, Butler tried to flee in a white Hyundai Santa Fe, but the car overturned a potted plant and came to rest on the sidewalk. NBC to Philadelphia.
The veteran’s family said the suspect sat in a car parked at a nearby intersection for a while before Butler came out onto the street.
Home surveillance footage shows the suspect jump out of a silver sedan, run toward Butler’s car and open fire. Get it at 6ABC.
Butler had dinner plans with his girlfriend later that day.
“In broad daylight, he was going about his normal daily routine, going to the park every day and stopping at Wawa,” Butler’s great-niece Minette Finn told the magazine. “You were defenseless in his car. You were waiting for him. You were waiting for this man. This was not a random act.”
The family remembered Butler as a retired SEPTA driver who served in the Air Force and as a patriarch not only for his family but for the entire community.
“Pop. Dad. Uncle. Everyone’s brother,” Finn said. “If you met him, you loved him. That’s all I have to say. Anybody in this neighborhood could probably tell you.”
Butler was taken to Penn Presbyterian Hospital, five miles away, where he was pronounced dead at 1:56 p.m.
Mourning families wondered what would happen to their loved ones.
“If you get the answer to that question, please let us know. Why, because that’s what we want to know,” the grieving niece added.
“This man did nothing to anyone and gave to everyone,” Finn told WCAU.
“You know, my dad never bothered anybody,” Butler’s son, Orlando Butler, told the magazine. “He’s just a veteran.”
Orlando Butler recalled that when his father was young, he would take neighborhood kids to Atlantic City and Wildwood to show them life outside of Philadelphia.
“He was a good citizen in the community. He took care of all the kids on the block. It’s really sad that something like this happened to my dad.”
Police have not yet released information about the identity of the shooting suspect or a motive.
