Trip to Philadelphia ATM ends with loving father killed in triple shooting; suspect still at large
"They were on their way to the ATM and they drove into some madness," said the victim's mother.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A couple's trip to an ATM in Philadelphia ended in a triple shooting that claimed the life of a loving son, father, and husband.
Now, the victim's mother is asking for the public's help in finding her son's killer.
Lamont Butts, 46, was married with three daughters. His mother, Joan Northcutt, described him as a man who loved to talk.
"When he came into a room, it lit up because he was always going to say something funny, always engaging in jokes. He kept everyone's attention," she said.
On Monday, January 16, Butts' wife asked him to drive her to an ATM.
"They were on their way to the ATM and they drove into some madness," recalled Northcutt.
She says her daughter-in-law told her that Butts knew something bad was happening when they drove to the scene.
"She said it seemed like Lamont kind of knew what was going to go down because she said his last words were 'Oh s---'," said Northcutt.
At approximately 7:40 p.m., police were called to the 6400 block of Akron Street in Philadelphia's Oxford Circle section for reports of a shooting.
When they arrived, they found one victim suffering from two gunshot wounds.
Police say there were two additional victims located at a nearby gas station at Cottman and Glendale streets.
Those victims were Butts and his wife. Detectives believe they were caught in the crossfire and were not the intended targets.
"The police took Lamont out of their car and put him in the police car and took him to the hospital," his mother recalled.
He died two days later from his injuries.
Butts' wife and the first victim found by police survived.
The City of Philadelphia is offering up to $20,000 in reward money for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
All you have to do is call the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. All calls will remain anonymous.
"Please just say something. It might be something small, might lead to something big. But you know, just say something," said Northcutt.
