Couple renovating home shot, 1 killed, in possible home invasion in Philadelphia's West Oak Lane

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A man was killed and a woman injured during a shooting inside a home they were renovating in Philadelphia's West Oak Lane section Monday. Police still aren't entirely sure how it all played out but said they believe that whoever is responsible for the shooting broke the front window during what was possibly an attempted break-in.

Officers responded to reports of gunshots just before 1 a.m. along the 7300 block of Sommers Road in West Oak Lane.

The block isn't far from Washington Lane and West Cheltenham Avenue, which police said is typically a quiet area.

"I didn't even know there was anyone even living in the house. Occasionally we would see a gentleman coming out putting the trash out," said Furman Pace.

Pace said he has lived in the neighborhood for 45 years and describes it as "relatively family neighborhood with older adults."

Investigators said they found a 45-year-old woman with a gun shot wound to the leg and a 44-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest and right arm.

Medics rushed him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators said the couple was renovating the two-story duplex while still living there.

"They've been renovating this house for probably the last 15 or 20 years," Pace said. "It's sad. In this neighborhood, we don't really have anything like that. The biggest thing we every had were car robberies and break-ins."

Police aren't sure why this happened. However, a broken front windows is another indication that something happened at the home.

They said it appears the shots were fired right inside the front window where they found most of the shell casings.

Officers said that whoever is responsible had either just broken the window or attempted to get in, and that's when the shooter(s) fired the shots.

"It appears that the shooter or shooters were at the front of the property and had either broken the window or attempted to gain access," said Captain Anthony Ginaldi, with the Philadelphia Police Department.

The Action Cam was at the scene during the height of this investigation as police used flashlights to search for possible evidence outside the shattered front window.

"There's no indication that there was an exchange of gunfire from inside. There was no weapon inside the property," Ginaldi said. "There were tools in the property. The property was being rehabbed. Looks like this couple was working on the property."

Homicide investigators were on scene well into the morning as they waited for a warrant to go into the property.

No arrests have been made.