Philadelphia gun owner shoots dead thief trying to steal car from outside his home
The fatal shooting of an alleged car thief by a licensed gun owner is being investigated by Philadelphia homicide detectives.
The shooting occurred on Cobbs Creek Parkway in Southwest Philadelphia at about 8am on Tuesday as three thieves allegedly tried to tow away the man’s car.
Sources told ABC6 that a suspect was tying cables to the car when the owner came out of his house and fired at them.
The trio attempted to escape in a Honda Accord but the cables snapped and they crashed into school bus a few metres away.
Two of the suspects fled on foot and remain at large.
A third man, identified by relatives as Satario Natividad, 51, was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center with a gunshot wound where he was later pronounced dead.
Chief Inspector Frank Vanore told the Philadelphia Inquirer the fatal incident did not appear to be a carjacking.
“It appeared to be that they were either attempting to take the car or parts of the car and they were confronted.
“You could see catalytic converters, some tools, and what appears to be a firearm,” he said.
A catalytic converter is an exhaust emission control device that purifies toxic car exhaust. There is reportedly a large black market for the converters.
Mr Natividad’s wife Sherell denied her husband was a car thief and called on police to press charges against the gun owner.
“How could it be a carjacking when no one was in the car?” Ms Natividad told the Inquirer.
“They shot him. They killed him.”
Philadelphia has seen a surge in carjackings in 2022, with nearly 100 reported in the first two weeks of the year.
