Fatal knife attack on player at laundromat/gas station in Philly – NBC10 Philadelphia

Someone approached a man playing a slot machine at a West Philadelphia gas station/laundromat Friday morning and stabbed him “for no apparent reason,” Philadelphia police said.

Philadelphia Police investigators cordoned off the area around the Exxon gas station and laundromat at North 63rd and Vine streets on October 18, 2024.

The video documented the stabbing attack that began just before 5:30 a.m. at the laundromat, said Philadelphia Police Inspector Scott Small.

“By observing the indoor surveillance cameras, we see that this 31-year-old victim was in a laundromat attached to the gas station, playing games of skill… when you see the perpetrator approaching.” “The attack on the victim – and for no apparent reason when you look at the recording – begins stabbing the victim multiple times,” Small said.

The stabbing victim struggled with his killer – who was wearing a mask and a dark hoodie – and they then disappeared from view of the camera, Small said. The stabbed victim then ended up outside.

Officers found the man on the ground near his parked car and gas pumps, semi-conscious and “bleeding profusely from multiple stab wounds to his upper body,” Small said.

Officers took the man to a nearby hospital, where he died a short time later, Small said.

After the stabbing, the killer may have gone to a nearby house on 63rd Street, Small said. Police took several potential witnesses from that home for questioning by homicide investigators.

“We believe they have some information about this murder,” Small said.

What police knew was that the stabbing victim had parked his car outside the gas station/laundromat before going inside, Small said. Arriving officers found the dying man on the ground near his car, which was part of the crime scene.

The search for the killer continued Friday morning, Small said. No knife was immediately recovered at the scene.

Despite these killings, the number of homicides in Philadelphia has declined this year, according to police. As of Friday, at least 206 homicides had been reported in the city, down about 50% since the start of the year and the lowest level in a decade.