UPPER DARBY, PENNSYLVANIA – There’s a good reason that cops hate domestic violence situations. They’re among the most unpredictable and dangerous calls they respond to. And while the police weren’t called until after the shooting stopped in Upper Darby Monday evening, you can bet they weren’t thrilled about getting the call.
In some kind of convoluted relationship between four individuals, there was an apparent dispute between Seifuddin Collier and another man, a concealed carry permit holder, who hasn’t yet been named.
At this point, (Police Superintendent Michael) Chitwood said the shooting appears to have resulted from a “complicated” domestic-related incident that seemingly involves the former girlfriend of the gunman, as well as a woman presumed to be her cousin who police suspect may have provided a firearm to Collier just prior to a confrontation with the gunman.
“The Readers’ Digest version is there was an ongoing dispute between the victim and the shooter,” Chitwood said.
Did you get all that? Neither did we. Anyway . . .
According to Chitwood, the gunman and a woman were getting into a car when they reportedly were confronted by Collier.
“Collier allegedly approaches the shooter, words are exchanged. (Collier) racks a .9 mm ready to fire at the gunman who then pulls out his 9 mm and shoots (Collier) in the stomach,” Chitwood said.
There was clearly a lot more going on here than meets the eye, or than the cops have figured out yet.
After the shooting, according to Chitwood, the alleged gunman returned to his home in the 500 block of Littlecroft Road, where he called 911 and reported that he had just shot a man.
“The 911 dispatcher told him to go outside and put the gun the middle of the street, which he did,” Chitwood said. Police subsequently recovered a .9 mm handgun, loaded with the exception of one bullet, the superintendent said, noting the individual has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
Our Reader’s Digest version: the shooting sounds like the result of a messy domestic situation involving four people, at least two of whom apparently had concealed carry permits, and liked to carry .9mm handguns (no matter how small or under-powered they may be). It’s easy to second-guess these things in hindsight, especially when you don’t have all the facts. In short: carry always and keep your head on a swivel.
