'I could have died': Man claims he was shot after critiquing dog in Strawberry Mansion

John Paul Image
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
'I could have died': Man claims he was shot after critiquing dog in Strawberry Mansion

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A Philadelphia man is speaking out after he says he was shot for critiquing another man's dog earlier this month.

"I'm like, 'Yo, you shot me?'" recalled Darnell Henry.

Henry told Action News what happened leading up to the incident on the morning of November 3.

He says he was outside watching TV on the sidewalk near his home on West Oakdale Street in Strawberry Mansion.

Henry said his dog, Bella, walked up to 56-year-old Paul Sanders, who was walking his own dog at the time.

He said Sanders didn't want the dog near him, and Henry mentioned the man's dog looked skinny.

Minutes later, Henry said Sanders came back with 20-year-old Tanon Fitzpatrick, and he was shot. He believes it was because he called Sanders' dog skinny.

"I'm more angry than anything. Over a dog?" said Henry. "This is nothing else but talking about his dog. Feed your dog and walk away, and I get a bullet for that?"

After the shooting, police said Sanders and Fitzpatrick barricaded themselves inside a home on North 23rd Street.

The SWAT team was called in and the two were arrested, according to police. They now face several charges, including aggravated assault.

"It's upsetting man. It's really upsetting. I could have died right there, like literally I could have died over a dog," said Henry.

Henry says he spent five days in the hospital and is now waiting for police to interview him about what happened.

"This ain't the City of Brotherly Love," Henry said.

Both suspects remain in jail. Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Philadelphia police.

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