South Philly Review

A 35-year-old was killed at about 2:12 p.m. Monday afternoon at Fourth and Christian streets in Queen Village.

Police said at least five shots were fired at the silver 2008 Ford Escape in which Shareef Williams from the 2100 block of South Beechwood Street was sitting, Officer Tanya Little of the Police Public Affairs Unit said. With multiple wounds to his chest, Wiliams went to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:39 p.m.

Homicide detectives continue to search for a motive and suspect as well as the owner of the Ford with the out-of-town plates. To report information, call the Homicide Division at 215-686-3334/5.

Two dead in crash

Two men perished in a car crash last Thursday when the vehicle in which they were riding at a high rate of speed slammed into a PECO utility pole on the 2900 block of Delaware Avenue.

At about 3:30 a.m., the driver of the green 1999 Ford Crown Victoria lost control and struck the pole, trapping himself under the dashboard, Officer Tanya Little of the Police Public Affairs Unit said. At press time, investigators still had not identified the man due to severe injuries and no identification in his possession. His passenger, a 25-year-old black male from North Philly, had to be extricated from the seat by fire rescue crews; police have not released his name pending family notification. Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Man accused of rape

For the second time in a little over two months, a local man has been arrested for allegedly raping a youth -- only this time it was a 13-year-old girl, not boy, and she was from North Philly, police said. Three other teenage girls also from North Philly were allegedly sexually assaulted on different occasions by Acquan Spearman, 21, from the 1400 block of Mole Street, Special Victims Unit Lt. Mike Boyle told the Review. When Spearman was taken into custody at his home Jan. 26, he resisted arrest so he had to be tasered, Boyle added. Investigators said Spearman committed the strong-arm assaults between December 2007 and January of this year near Jay Cooke Elementary School in the Logan section, where a family member resides and he would often stay. According to Boyle, Spearman would approach the victims walking home from school, introduce himself as "Q" and then say a few words before fondling the girls' private parts.

In the December '07 case of the 13-year-old, Spearman allegedly took her to an abandoned house on the 5600 block of North Broad Street and raped her, the lieutenant said. Authorities were recently made aware of the attack through the victim's mental health counselor who is obligated by law to report crimes. "It is not uncommon for sexual assault cases -- especially kids --not to disclose what happened," Boyle said. Investigators have not released a mugshot of Spearman due to identification issues since they are looking into whether he could be responsible for more attacks, the lieutenant said.

The other case involving a local man charged with raping a youth happened about 7 p.m. Nov. 26 at when a registered Megan's Law sex offender was apprehended at his home on the 2000 block of Moore Street after authorities said he violated an 11-year-old boy the day before. Calvin Moore, 29, allegedly knocked on the victim's door on the 1600 block of South 17th Street and forced his way inside, assaulting the youth in the living room while an older brother was upstairs in his room on the computer, Special Victims Unit Capt. John Darby told the Review at the time. The incident was not random and Moore allegedly had previous contact with the child by way of a conversation in the neighborhood, police said.

To report information on Spearman, call the Special Victims Unit at 215-685

Triple shooting

A shooting near Tasker and Taney streets Jan. 27 that left a 9-year-old and 18-year-old critically wounded was likely gang related, police said. A third victim, 16, was spared from injury when his jacket stopped a bullet, police said. The child was walking from Bailey Street onto the 2600 block of Tasker Street when he was hit in the left side of his chest and left foot with bullets, Officer Tanya Little of the Police Public Affairs Unit said. The 18-year-old was standing on the corner of Tasker and Taney when he was struck in his left ankle and left hip. The 16-year-old who was standing near the 18-year-old on the block was not harmed when a bullet lodged in his jacket, Little said.