Flurry of crime as police
commissioner unveils plan

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

New Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey announced on Wednesday of last week that he planned to commit 200 additional officers to the nine police districts around the city hit hardest by crime in recent years.
Seemingly on cue, a surge of gun violence struck one of those nine districts, the 15th district in the Northeast.
In a span of 39 hours, three separate shootings claimed the lives of three people, including a pregnant woman whose baby girl was delivered 12 weeks early at Temple University Hospital as the mother lay on her deathbed.
Two other people were wounded during the three shootings, while police also responded to armed robberies at a local medical center and a home in the same span.
A domestic argument sparked the first incident at about 10 a.m. on Jan. 29.
According to police, a 26-year-old female victim was walking along the 1200 block of Haworth St. in Northwood when an ex-boyfriend approached her from behind, knocked her to the ground and shot her numerous times.
The woman, whose identity police did not release, was wounded in both hips, an arm and the buttocks. She was taken to Temple University Hospital in critical condition. The hospital has not disclosed an updated status of the woman because her name had not been made public.
When police arrived moments later in response to a 911 call for a woman screaming, they saw a male with a gun in the street about a half-block from the injured woman. The man placed the gun in his mouth and fired.
He was pronounced dead at the scene and identified as Rodney Stewart, 26, of the 1300 block of Barringer St.
Robbery was the motive for a home invasion about one hour later on the 2000 block of Granite St., police said.
Three males broke into the home of a 45-year-old woman at about 11 a.m., pointed a gun at her and demanded money.
The intruders forced the woman into the basement, where they bound her with duct tape and electrical cord and burned her repeatedly in the calf and ankle with a heated spoon, police said.
The victim was not hospitalized for treatment of the burns. The suspects fled with about $200 cash, jewelry and a laptop computer.
Two suspects were described as black, ages 25 to 29 and heavy. They both wore black jackets and blue jeans. A third suspect was black, in his early 20s and thin.
All remained at large as the Times went to press.
Officers from the 15th district responded to a second armed robbery at about 9:15 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the McKinney Medical Center on the 7500 block of Frankford Ave., in Mayfair.
According to police, the physician on duty went to a front waiting area of the clinic and saw an armed man enter through the front door. The gunman struck the doctor in the head and demanded money, police said.
The doctor, who suffered a cut of the head, led the suspect, who was joined by at least one accomplice, to an office and handed them $5,000 cash.
The suspects fled from a rear door in an unknown direction.
During the heist, the crooks forced several patients to dump their mobile phones into a trash can, but they did not take the devices. There were no other injuries reported.
One robber was described as black, 30 to 35 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall and 140 to 160 pounds. He had a medium complexion and a goatee. He wore a baseball cap, navy sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.
A second suspect was described as black, about 6 feet tall and 230 pounds. He had a moustache and gold sweatshirt.
Both remained at large on Tuesday.
Gunfire returned to Northwood shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 30 when police responded to a shooting at a Kmart store on the 900 block of Orthodox St.
When officers arrived, they found Robert Overton, 21, of the 5000 block of Ditman St., lying face down in the doorway to the store, which had been open for business. He had multiple gunshot wounds of the torso and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police have no suspects or motive for the shooting, a department spokeswoman said. A published report claimed that investigators were looking for two men seen leaving the scene in a white vehicle.
A killer also remains at large in connection with another shooting at about 1:15 a.m. on Jan. 31 on the 4600 block of Griscom St. in Frankford.
According to police, a man and a woman pulled up to the block in a car, parked and were attacked by a man with a shotgun.
The woman, who was 28 weeks pregnant, suffered wounds to the back and was taken to Temple University Hospital. She was identified as Emine Hajredinaj, 20, of the 1500 block of Overington St.
Doctors delivered her baby by an emergency cesarean section but could not save the woman, who was pronounced dead at 1:47 a.m. The child was listed in critical condition.
The man inside the car was also wounded by the shotgun blast. He was admitted in critical condition to Temple University Hospital with wounds of the chest and arms. Police did not release his name.
No description of the gunman or suspected motive was available as the Times went to press.
Anyone with information about the shootings is asked to call the homicide division at 215-686-3334.
Anyone with information about the robberies is asked to call Northeast Detectives at 215-686-3153. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com