Man allegedly admits to killing Philadelphia firefighter uncle, police say

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A man has been arrested after he allegedly killed his uncle inside a home in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia.

Officers were called to the 4700 block of Shelmire Avenue around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, where they found 56-year-old Antonio Rodriguez dead. He has been identified as a Philadelphia firefighter.

When police arrived, they said 27-year-old Isaac Zayas was sitting on the porch, locked inside the porch gates, which officers had to break into.

Zayas was taken to the homicide division, where police say he admitted to killing his uncle.

Responding officers also discovered Rodriguez dead inside the house.

"When they went inside, they found a 56-year-old that was extremely injured," said Philadelphia Police Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore. "We don't know what occurred. There was some kind of physical confrontation that occurs inside the property. It was not a gunshot or anything like that. It was a physical assault. It could've been a strangulation."

Police say Rodriguez was an active-duty Philadelphia firefighter. A fire department official briefly spoke at the scene earlier Wednesday morning, saying, "Today's a rough day. Definitely a rough day."

The department later posted a statement saying they are heartbroken to lose one of their members, adding they are working closely with police as they investigate.

Police and fire escorted the body to the medical examiner's office, where a cause of death will be determined.

The circumstances of this incident remain under investigation by homicide detectives.

Neighbor Steve Uchniat was upset to learn about the homicide so close to home.

"Taking a life is kind of tough to understand when you live here," he said. "Am I safe?"

Zayas was charged with murder and related offenses, police announced on Thursday.