UPDATE (Thursday, Jan. 19): A suspect was detained Tuesday near 40th and Walnut, according to police. At approximately 11 a.m., one of the robbery victims observed a male in the area who he recognized as the male who had robbed him earlier that morning. He called 911, and the male was stopped by responding officers and positively identified by the victim. The male was later identified as 56-year-old Larry Brown. He was arrested and charged with robbery, terroristic threats and related offenses.

Police are investigating a series of gunpoint robberies that took place between 8:30 p.m. on Monday and 7:05 a.m. on Tuesday between 43rd and 47th Streets and Spruce St. and Cedar Ave. A total of four robberies were reported, and police believe they were committed by the same suspect, described as a black male, about 5 feet, 6 inches, with a thin build and a beard, wearing a maroon hooded sweatshirt, shorts, and spandex tights.

The first robbery took place in Garden Court at about 8:30 p.m. on Monday when a 38-year-old woman was approached by an unknown male on Pine St. between 46th and 47th. The man showed the woman a gun and demanded her purse which contained her cell phone, debit/credit cards, checkbook and cash. The man also indecently assaulted the woman before fleeing in an unknown direction, according to a police report.

UPDATE (1/17/2017): Police have recovered surveillance video from inside the store. The video shows an unknown black male wearing a green hooded jacket entering the store, pulling out a handgun and directing the victim, 16-year-old Sean D-Jones, to the floor. After several minutes talking on a cell phone, with Jones still on the floor, the suspect shot him one time in the head, according to a police report. After shooting Jones, the suspect calmly walked out of the building and headed north on N. 52nd Street towards Haverford Ave. The victim’s father was in the back of the storefront residence during the shooting. He heard a “thump” and minutes later discovered his son bleeding on the floor, according to the report.

Police are searching for the gunman who shot and killed a 16-year-old youth on Sunday afternoon in West Philadelphia.

The victim, identified as Sean-D Jones, was inside his father’s store, Gary Global Links Video Productions, located on the 200 block of N. 52nd Street, when someone entered the store and shot him once in the head shortly after 12 p.m., according to police. The teen was critically injured and died at a local hospital a short time later, according to reports. So far no arrests have been made.

Jones and his older brother recently immigrated to the U.S. from Jamaica, according to reports. 6ABC spoke to Jones’ brother, Shaquille Jones.

The University of the Sciences (USciences) is honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by hosting two community events, one for adults and the other one for children, on Monday, Jan. 16. Both are free and open to everyone.

From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., USciences faculty, staff, and students will conduct health screenings at a free Adult Health Clinic at Mt. Zion Baptist Church (5015 Woodland Ave.) and will be available to discuss relevant health issues.

From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., young neighbors and their parents or guardians are invited to a Youth Health and Science Fair at USciences’ Athletic Recreation Center (600 South 43rd St., Multipurpose Room). This event is offering many free activities for children, including dance and yoga classes, sports clinics, hands-on science experiments, games and a performance from the Kingsessing Singers Chamber Choir.  Continue Reading

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is this Monday (Jan. 16). Here’s a list of events and Day of Service opportunities for local residents. Some events are being held starting this weekend and will go on until Feb. 2. More MLK Day of Service community projects can be found here.

Friday, Jan. 13

• MLK Weekend of Service at Repair the World: Philadelphia  – Jan. 13-16

Repair the World: Philadelphia will honor the legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. all weekend long through offering a variety of volunteer opportunities and chances to engage with other community members. Click here to register.

Sunday, Jan. 15

• Annual Symposium on Social Change Honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at the University of Pennsylvania – Jan. 15-Feb. 2, 2017

The University of Pennsylvania will honor the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. with film screenings, lectures, workshops, panel discussions and musical performances. All events are free and open to the public. Click here for more information.  Continue Reading

The University of Pennsylvania has confirmed that the Fresh Grocer that has been operating at the corner of 40th and Walnut for 15 years will soon be replaced by another operator.

In an e-mail to West Philly Local, Jennifer Rizzi, Director of Communications at Penn, confirmed that the university, which owns the building where the Fresh Grocer is currently located, “began lease discussions with a new operator and will soon announce plans with this operator for an exciting, upgraded state of the art urban supermarket at the 40th and Walnut location.” The decision to seek proposals from a variety of grocery stores for this location was made after the Fresh Grocer “failed to renew the lease for almost 4 months after the deadline [November 2015],” according to the email.  Continue Reading

The two sisters behind LuLu Bang, who recently appeared on ABC’s reality TV show “Shark Tank,” have just opened a new pop-up restaurant in West Philly. Jorrae and Kelly Beard, the owners of LuLu Bang Sauces and Marinades, opened Lulu Bang Burgers & Wangs on Jan. 2 at The Common Table at 310 S. 48th St.. The restaurant is part of the Dorrance H. Hamilton Center for Culinary Enterprises (CCE) incubator program.

The pop-up restaurant will operate at this location until March 31; LuLu Bang is an active member of the CCE and will have the organization’s support during their launch phase. While temporarily using space at The Common Table, the program will continue to seek a permanent location for LuLu Bang’s future restaurant and will launch a kick starter campaign for 60 days.  Continue Reading