Police said the wounded man was trying to help a woman before her father opened fire.
PHILADELPHIA — A Good Samaritan was critically wounded early Sunday outside a hotel near Philadelphia International Airport after police said a father mistook him for a man accused of attacking his daughter.
Philadelphia police said the shooting happened outside the Hampton Inn on Bartram Avenue, where two young women had been staying. One of the women called her father and reported that she was being sexually assaulted by a man, police said. Her father went to the hotel with a gun and fired at a man in the parking lot.
Police said the man who was shot was not the alleged attacker. Investigators said he had stepped in to help the woman before he was struck several times in the chest. Officers found at least seven shell casings at the scene. The wounded man was taken to a local hospital, where he remained in critical condition Sunday.
The father was taken into custody at the scene, police said. Authorities had not released the names or ages of the father, his daughter, the wounded man or the alleged attacker. Police also had not announced charges as of Sunday morning. Investigators said the case remained open as detectives worked to sort out what happened before the gunfire.
The shooting drew police to a busy hotel area near the airport, where travelers and workers often pass through at all hours. Investigators were reviewing the sequence of events, including the daughter’s emergency call to her father, the father’s arrival at the hotel and the moments when the bystander tried to help.
Police said the wounded man’s condition was the most serious immediate concern. Detectives were also continuing to investigate the reported sexual assault that led to the father’s response. Officials did not say whether the person accused in that report had been identified or found.
The investigation remained active Sunday, with possible charges still pending and no public timetable for the next police update.
Author note: Last updated May 31, 2026.