Police deployed SWAT officers and drones before entering the Colgate Street residence, where an unidentified man was found dead.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Philadelphia police were working Wednesday to identify a man found fatally shot inside a Crescentville home and determine what led to the killing after officers used drones and a SWAT team to secure the residence.
The investigation began after officers responded to reports of gunshots around 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on the 6100 block of Colgate Street. Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said officers checking the property found an open rear door and could see a person lying on the living room floor and a firearm on a pool table.
Those observations prompted police to secure the house before entering. A SWAT team and police drones searched the residence for any other people or potential threats. Authorities said no one else was found inside, and no additional injuries were reported.
Once investigators entered the home, they found a man believed to be in his 20s with a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said he was wearing gloves and a face covering, details that remained part of the unresolved circumstances surrounding the homicide.
The man’s name had not been released by Wednesday morning. Authorities also had not said whether he lived at the Colgate Street property. No suspect description was immediately available, and police had not announced an arrest.
Investigators recovered narcotics and drug paraphernalia from inside the residence, along with the firearm officers had seen from outside. Police said those findings led them to investigate the possibility that the homicide was narcotics-related. Officials had not announced a confirmed motive.
The scene left detectives with several unanswered questions, including who was with the man before the shooting, how the gunfire unfolded and why the victim was wearing a face covering and gloves. Police had not publicly provided answers to those questions as the investigation continued.
The case remained a homicide investigation Wednesday, with detectives seeking evidence about what happened before officers reached the home. Authorities had not released information identifying a suspected shooter or establishing a sequence of events inside the residence.
Police continued asking anyone with information about the Colgate Street shooting to contact the department as investigators worked to identify the victim and determine the circumstances behind his death.
Author note: Last updated October 28, 2026.