Someone Ordered Pizza To A Vacant House And Killed The Delivery Guy

Authorities are warning other delivery drivers in Philadelphia that the crime appears to be part of a pattern.

A pizza deliveryman was killed Tuesday in Philadelphia in an apparent robbery ambush scheme, police said.

The suspect or suspects who placed the order, then robbed and fatally shot 30-year-old Bobby Jenkins, have not been identified, Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said Wednesday. Smith added the shooting appeared to be part of a pattern, and he warned other delivery drivers to be aware of their surroundings.

“We know these tend to run in patterns,” Smith said at a press conference. “Individuals get a taste for it, so to speak, and then they start committing these similar types of robberies.”

This is Bobby Jenkins. He was shot and killed while delivering a pizza to a vacant home in Overbrook Park. He worked for Stacy’s Pizzeria for only a few short weeks, earning some extra cash to start his own business, his cousin tells @CBSPhilly.

Jenkins had recently begun delivering for Stacy’s Pizza to earn extra money to start his own business, a cousin told CBS 3. On Tuesday around 7 p.m., he was taking an order to a home in West Philadelphia when he was met not with a customer, but a robber who shot at him with a 9 mm handgun, Smith said.

When officers arrived, they found Jenkins with a gunshot wound to his chest, and he was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The shooter was gone, and police discovered the house listed as the delivery address was vacant — and a back door showed signs of forced entry, Smith said.

Police are now reviewing other recent robberies in the city for any connections, and a Feb. 17 incident appears to be a match. Another delivery driver was robbed after attempting to take food to what ended up being a vacant home with a forced-open rear door, Smith said. In that case, the driver was not injured.

Smith urged restaurants and other businesses to be cautious when receiving orders from phone numbers they haven’t delivered to in the past. He did not say what had been taken from Jenkins or the other delivery driver, but he noted that drivers tend to carry less than $100 in cash.

“My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of Mr. Jenkins,” he said. “This is truly a senseless tragedy.”

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