Police: Woman killed while walking with daughter in Strawberry Mansion was targeted

STRAWBERRY MANSION (WPVI) -- A woman was shot multiple times while out walking her dog with her teenage daughter in the Strawberry Mansion section of Philadelphia.

On Monday afternoon, homicide detectives were back at the scene of the execution style murder on the 3200 block of Morse Street.

It was a possible hit.

The victim, police say, was 42-year-old mother Kathryn Berry.

"Absolutely, she was targeted. We don't know why. But she was absolutely targeted, and we're asking for the public's help," said Philadelphia Police Department Captain James Clark.

Clark says around 10:00 p.m. Saturday, Berry was walking home on Morse with her 13-year-old daughter and their dog. They had just returned from the store.

A man walked up and opened fire.

After police scoured the area looking for clues, they found surveillance video of the violent killing.

Police say the video shows a man pull out a gun, walk up to Berry, and fire 9 to 10 shots.

Clark described the man as a black male in his early 50s, heavy set, with a grayish beard

Berry's horrified teenage daughter wasn't physically injured, but she witnessed her mother's murder.

"That's an absolute tragedy. The mother was actually gunned down in front of the daughter. The daughter was actually the one who called 911 and got the police out there so very traumatizing for her," Clark said.

While police are trying to figure out a motive, Action News has learned what was happening in Berry's life at the time of the shooting.

Back in June of 2013, she was indicted on federal drug charges for distributing and aiding and abetting the distribution of large amounts of oxycodone.

Documents show she was in federal court two weeks ago to change her plea to guilty.

Sentencing in the case was expected to happen in January.

Philadelphia police won't say if Berry's federal case is part of their investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to call police.