Frankford home invasion leaves 2 dead

Cop slays gunmen who tortured occupant as girlfriend and her kids watched

By DANA DiFILIPPO & DAVID GAMBACORTA

difilid@phillynews.com 215-854-5934

Michele Maguire was battling a case of insomnia when she heard a woman screaming early yesterday.
Before she could investigate, she heard an explosion of gunfire, sounds so scary they sent her to the bathroom vomiting in terror.
But the sounds were nothing compared to the scene in an upstairs apartment.
Three armed men had broken into Andre Jenkins' Frankford apartment allegedly looking for money and bound him with duct tape to a chair, stabbing him repeatedly while his girlfriend and two children watched in horror.
A police officer responding to reports of a woman screaming broke into the apartment building only to come face-to-muzzle with the gun of one thug, who began blasting at the officer, police and neighbors said.
The officer, whom police declined to identify, returned fire, bringing the home invasion to a thunderous end by killing two of the assailants. A third assailant, who police suspect was a lookout, fled on foot. Police said they apprehended him a few blocks away.
The assailants, all with extensive arrest records for gun and drug-related charges, did not break into Jenkins' apartment by mistake, said Chief Inspector Joe Fox.
They "were in the apartment they intended to go to," Fox said, quickly adding that there's no indication that Jenkins owed any of the men money.
Fox said investigators had found a small amount of marijuana in the apartment, "but we're still trying to determine a concrete motive."
Police recovered a weapon they believe belonged to one of the intruders, as well as a bloodstained butcher knife.
"I was never so scared in my life," said Maguire, 30, who cowered in her nearby apartment until she was sure the gunfire was over.
The episode unfolded about 2:45 a.m. yesterday, when the robbers - clad in dark masks and dark clothing - somehow got past a locked common door in the blocky, two-story, red-brick apartment building on Oxford Avenue near Large Street.
They broke into Jenkins' apartment, dragged him out of his bedroom and strapped him to a chair with duct tape they had just bought at a 7-Eleven a half-block away, police said.
Then the torture began.
The victim was repeatedly stabbed in the arms, chest and back as his agonized family watched until his girlfriend - whose legs had been bound with duct tape - began screaming.
Her daughters, ages 4 and 11, also screamed. The thugs covered the 4-year-old girl's head with a blanket in an attempt to muffle her screams, Fox said.
"The woman was screaming so loud, I think that's what saved their lives," said neighbor Bill Hays, who was outside in the parking lot when a police cruiser arrived.
As the woman screamed for help, the responding officer tried unsuccessfully to kick in the locked common door, Hays said. He then bashed in a side window with his nightstick, reached in to open the door and disappeared up the stairs, Hays added.
"I heard 10 or 15 shots, a pause, then another 10 or so shots," Hays said. "A cop screamed at me to get back inside, so I did."
Two suspects were killed in the gunfire. Police investigators were still trying last night to identify the two gunmen who were shot dead. The third accomplice, whom police identified as James Lowry, 20, was caught on Frankford Avenue near Wakeling Street. He was hit with a host of charges, including aggravated assault and robbery, police said.
The officer who shot the two gunmen was treated at Frankford Hospital-Torresdale for an elbow injury, while his partner suffered a hand injury, police said.
Fox declined to comment on the officers, noting that Internal Affairs is conducting its own routine investigation.
"It's a sign of the times," Fox said, referring to the suspects aiming a loaded weapon at cops. "There's a lot of guns out there. [Police officers] face it every day."
Jenkins was taken to Frankford Hospital-Torresdale, where he was in stable condition, police said.
His distraught girlfriend returned to the scene hours later in a blood-smeared nightgown to retrieve fresh clothes for herself and the couple's children.
She told neighbors that the robbers kept demanding: "Where's the money? Where's the money?" But the woman said the family didn't have any money, Maguire said.
The violence stunned residents of the quiet neighborhood, where shops, apartments and attractive rowhouses with tidy lawns and gardens blend easily. A day-care center sits across the street, and Frankford High School is four blocks away.
"This is a family-oriented community," said the manager at the 7-Eleven where the robbers bought their duct tape and gloves.
The man, who asked not to be named, said the victim of the home invasion was a regular customer. The store gave police footage from security cameras, which captured the thugs buying the tape and gloves, he added.
The incident had neighbors on edge yesterday, as they stood anxiously watching crime-scene workers gather evidence.
"I'm going to move," Maguire vowed.
Hays puzzled over how the robbers had picked their victim.
"I don't know why anybody would want to mess with him - he's a good, working man," Hays said.
Hays had no sympathy for the slain thugs, who he said had passed him in the parking lot on their way to the 7-Eleven and asked him for a cigarette.
"I guess they got what they deserved," Hays said. "It was the cop or them. If the cop hadn't done what he did, he wouldn't be here now."

We should have a march on Harrisburg to fix Philly's gun laws, this is insane!

Just posted on the other thread about this.

Way to go Philly's finest. Those cops deserve some kudos going in there face to face with armed thugs. It is their job, but so often they get slammed, and now you read this, and we should mention that.

I agree with Ace............. Bravo to Phillys Finest.