– Philly man shooting outside Upper Darby mosque
– Fatal shooting outside Upper Darby mosque.
Accident – Death – Obituary News : A man from Philadelphia has been ordered to stand trial for multiple charges in connection with the shooting death of a man outside a mosque in Upper Darby last year, as well as an attempted escape from the police. The accused, 20-year-old Herman Stigall, residing in the 6200 block of Larchwood Avenue, is facing charges of first-degree, second-degree, and third-degree murder, along with robbery and firearms offenses in the killing of 65-year-old Mohammed Rahman on October 29. The incident occurred outside the Masjid Al-Madinah Mosque located on the 200 block of South 69th Street.
Additionally, Stigall is being charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, firearms offenses, receiving stolen property, and fleeing from the police in a separate incident that took place on December 29, the day he was apprehended.
During the preliminary hearing, Upper Darby Detective Sgt. Matthew Rowles provided his testimony to Magisterial District Judge Harry J. Karapalides. Sgt. Rowles stated that he was called to the mosque on the night of the shooting, where he found Rahman’s body covered by a sheet. Upon examination, Rowles discovered a gunshot wound to Rahman’s chest and nearby, four fired cartridge casings. Rahman was pronounced dead at the scene, and a subsequent autopsy confirmed that he had died from a single shot to the chest. The death was ruled a homicide.
Detective Sgt. Rowles further revealed that investigators had collected evidence, including video footage from the mosque’s vicinity and surrounding areas, as well as cellphone records belonging to both the victim and Stigall. One segment of the video showed Rahman arriving at the mosque in a white 2018 Toyota RAV4 at around 7:43 p.m. Within a minute, an altercation ensued between Rahman and another individual outside the vehicle. As the other man entered the driver’s seat, Rahman attempted to open the passenger door by running around the back of the car. However, he suddenly grabbed his chest, fell to the ground, and the RAV4 sped away.
Rowles mentioned that the victim’s cellphone was found inside the SUV, which was later traced to a sewer at Cecil Street and Washington Avenue. The RAV4, on the other hand, was discovered at Cecil and Webster streets, approximately two blocks north of the phone’s location.
By analyzing Stigall’s cellphone data, investigators were able to track his movements into and out of the township on the night of the incident. Rowles also revealed that detectives had a phone number to trace before they had identified Stigall, but the accused himself confirmed that the number belonged to him by writing it on an intake sheet after his arrest. The cellphone data matched video surveillance from various locations, including one at St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, which captured a man wearing ripped dark pants and gloves or with his hands concealed in the sleeves of his shirt or jacket. This individual was seen hiding behind a dumpster outside the mosque just prior to the shooting, and his movements aligned with those tracked through Stigall’s cellphone.
In a video taken after the shooting, Rowles pointed out that the phone screen was illuminated at the same time Stigall’s phone was in use. Previously, investigators were perplexed by the suspect seemingly disappearing from video surveillance in Philadelphia shortly after the shooting. However, it was later realized that Stigall had reached his address, which was eight blocks away from where the RAV4 was found.
Regarding Stigall’s capture, Sgt. Rowles recalled an incident on December 29, when he spotted Stigall driving a stolen Nissan Altima in the opposite direction while he was heading eastbound on Market Street in an unmarked police SUV. Stigall made a left turn onto 69th Street, colliding with another vehicle before attempting a U-turn. Sgt. Rowles activated his lights, and another detective exited the vehicle, ordering Stigall to stop. Instead, Stigall accelerated, forcing the detective to jump over the hood of the car to avoid being hit. This led to a high-speed chase through Philadelphia, during which Stigall drove on sidewalks. The pursuit finally ended in a multi-vehicle crash, and Stigall attempted to flee the scene. However, he was apprehended by Philadelphia police within an hour, as confirmed by Upper Darby Police Sgt. James Kellar, who was involved in the pursuit.
Sgt. Kellar, being one of the officers in the chase, stated that he witnessed Stigall driving the stolen Nissan Altima, which belonged to Lyft, with a gun in his hand. The police recovered this homemade ghost gun, and Sgt. Kellar handed it over to Sgt. Rowles. The forensics examination confirmed that the four fired cartridge casings found at the scene were all discharged from the same weapon, which was forensically matched to the gun recovered from Stigall.
Stigall is scheduled for formal arraignment on March 27 at the Delaware County Courthouse in Media. Currently, he remains in custody at the county jail in Concord..
– Philly man held in fatal shooting outside Upper Darby mosque
– Fatal shooting outside Upper Darby mosque involving Philly resident.
