Sansom Park man shot, killed while defending family from alleged burglars
SANSOM PARK — 42-year-old Richard Applegate was fatally shot Friday morning near Skyline Drive, Sansom Park police said.
The family of Applegate says he was killed around 6:15 a.m. at home after he confronted two young males threatening them. The family says that the confrontation began with the two males falsely accusing Applegate's mother of calling the police on them earlier that morning.
One of the suspects pulled out a gun from his backpack and shot Applegate as he tried to protect his family.
The suspects then fled the scene on foot.
The family stated authorities had responded to a break-in report at another residence in the area around 4 a.m. and police briefly spoke to the two suspects before releasing them. The family believes that these are the same suspects that Applegate confronted.
Sansom Park Police are seeking video footage captured between 4:30 a.m. and 7 a.m. from residents in the area of Skyline Drive, Crowley Street, Comanche Street, Cowden Street, Calloway Street, Joshua Court, and Jalah Court.
Family members said the suspects had previously been seen "running around and stealing" in the neighborhood.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Sansom Park police at CID@sansompark.org.