2 people shot and killed "execution style" in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park identified: police
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A man and a woman were found dead in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park on Thursday night with gunshot wounds to the head, police said.
Police identified the victims Friday afternoon as 49-year-old Thurston Cooper and 38-year-old Krystina Chambers.
According to police, a 911 call came in just before 11 p.m. after someone found a body on the 3800 block of Mount Pleasant Drive in East Fairmount Park. The area is near the historic Mount Pleasant Mansion, which was built in the 1760s and once owned by Benedict Arnold.
Medics and police who arrived at the scene found the body of Chambers next to the body of Cooper in a gully along the road. Three spent shell casings were found nearby, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
"At this point it appears they were both shot and killed execution style," Small said. "Not only because they were lying next to each other. ... It appears the shooter or shooters were standing very, very close to these two victims when the shots were fired, since the ballistic evidence was right there, just a few feet away."
Small said there are surveillance cameras at the Mount Pleasant Mansion, which is about half a block from the scene. Police are hopeful their footage can reveal more about a possible shooter or shooters.
Reactions to murders of Krystina Chambers and Thurston Cooper in Fairmount Park
"Who did it and why? That's the main thing, why did they come out here and did this," asked Paul Miller, who was walking his dog in the park Friday.
Few traces of the double homicide were left behind by Friday afternoon, but many people who bike and walk through the park were left feeling uneasy.
"It breaks my heart honestly to know there are cruel people out here," Mariah McClam said.
"Frankly, I'm very shocked. I've worked here for about six-and-a-half years and that's something we've never really experienced in the park," Ashlyn Ernst said.
Police say a motive in the shooting is still unknown.
A $40,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation is encouraged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department's Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or dial 911.
