Philly DA's Office Says 'Many Balls Were Dropped' Why Josephus Davis, Suspect In Murder Of Milan Loncar, Was Out On Bail
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There are new developments in the shooting death of 25-year-old Milan Loncar in Philadelphia's Brewerytown neighborhood. The Philadelphia Police Department and the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office are both speaking out about the case.
"The DA has been looking into it all weekend long and I'm sure many balls were dropped in this case," Joanne Pescatore, with the District Attorney's Office, said.
Many questions remain as to why 20-year-old Josephus Davis, the man charged with Milan Loncar's murder, was let out on bail on an armed robbery and kidnapping case just two weeks prior to the shocking crime.
"His bail should not have been lowered, it was lowered to an extremely low level -- such a level that he could make that bail. We are looking into the fact of whether or not we filed an appeal, we did object at the time that that bail was lowered on both of those cases," Pescatore said.
Loncar was fatally shot once in the chest as he walked his dog near 31st and West Jefferson Streets near his Brewerytown home last Wednesday.
Surveillance video captured the entire incident. Investigators say Davis is the man seen pointing a gun at the victim while rifling through his pockets, while a second man stood behind him.
"Mr. Loncar took a step backward and attempted to push the offender's firearm away from him. It was at this time that the offender is observed firing one time at Mr. Loncar, striking him in the upper chest area," Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said.
Officers arrested Davis about two hours later at B Street and Indiana Avenue driving a Ford Focus that had been stolen in a carjacking the day before. Smith says Davis was wearing the same clothes seen in the surveillance video.
Smith vehemently dismissed claims that an arrest came quickly in the Loncar murder because the victim was white.
"We work every single homicide the same exact way, it does not matter," Smith said. "The tips that we began receiving into the homicide unit enabled us to quickly develop our suspects. That's the difference."
Smith again confirmed that investigators have a second male person of interest in the case, but are not revealing the person's identity at this time.
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