It was supposed to be a joyous occasion
Family members from out of town gathered at the Four Points by Sheraton hotel near the Philadelphia International Airport Tuesday night for a birthday celebration.
All was well until the father of a 1-year-old showed up to the party.
Police say the father had not been involved in the child's life and family members were upset that the alleged distant father showed up.
That's when an argument broke out.
A 34-year-old family member tried to intervene and asked the father to step outside in the hallway.
That's when a gunshot rang out on the fourth floor.
Police say the suspect shot the 34-year-old in the face.
The suspect, police say, then took off heading towards the I-95 and Island Avenue cab station where dozens of cab drivers were waiting.
Police brought in K-9s and helicopters searching for the shooter.
Cab drivers, noticing all the commotion, alerted police of a suspicious man who kept trying to get a cab ride.
The man tried to run out of the cab area, but the cabbies took action and locked the front gate.
"The cab drivers informed our officers of a male that looked suspicious. As they went to approach the male, he tried to jump the fence. The cab people were very supportive; they closed the gate," Lt. John Walker of the Philadelphia Police Department said.
Walker said the man did jump over the gate, but was quickly apprehended by police officers.
The suspect will be charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault, Walker says.
The 34-year-old is in critical condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania suffering from a serious brain injury.
