Video shows moments before and after Marine veteran's murder in Olney section of Philadelphia
OLNEY (WPVI) -- Surveillance footage shows the moments before and after a homicide in the Olney section of Philadelphia that claimed the life of a 47-year-old disabled Marine Corps veteran.
"He is what you'd call, not a regular hero, but an American hero," said Howard White's friend, Dwayne Peel.
White, who was shot and killed early Thursday morning trying to foil a possible robbery, is shown in surveillance video wearing a blue polo shirt.
He is seen with a cousin and the suspected gunman, who was wearing a white t-shirt, outside Green Parrot Tavern on North 5th Street near Spencer Street.
They interact, walk out of the frame, then briefly back in.
Soon after, two people outside the bar are seen darting in different directions, and police arrive on the scene.
Family members say White believed the suspect was casing the bar, and he stepped in to try to diffuse the matter.
"He's military - trained to observe things," said another of White's cousins, Michelle Gordon. "And he told him, 'Sir, you don't want to do this. Come on. Come on.'"
In the process of getting away from the bar, his family says, White was shot twice and killed.
White's cousin, armed with two guns and a permit to carry, chased the suspect until responding officers arrived and told him to drop his weapons.
Police say the cousin complied, and officers continued to follow the suspect, who broke into a home on North 6th Street in an effort to get away.
Javier Vazquez, Sr. was asleep when his wife saw a silhouette in the bedroom doorway.
Vazquez chased the suspect down to the kitchen, where it turned physical. Vazquez explained the suspect hit him in the face with his gun multiple times.
"I was able to grab his wrist, scuffle with him," said Vazquez. "He was overpowering me."
Vazquez's 23-year-old son, Registered Nurse Javier Vazquez, Jr., came running. Father and son soon overpowered the suspect and grabbed the gun.
"My son picked him up and body slammed him," Vazquez, Sr. told Action News.
"I slammed him to the floor to get him off my dad," said Vazquez, Jr. "Luckily the police are right outside."
Father and son were treated at an area hospital for cuts, bruises and sprains. They have since spoken with detectives.
The 25-year-old suspect was also treated for injuries sustained the struggle.
He remains in custody.
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