FDR Park shooting highlights violent weekend in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (FOX 29) - Authorities say a gunman who apparently came to a South Philadelphia park in response to a fight between women opened fire on a large group, killing the son of a high-ranking city police official.

Captain Jason Smith says 20-year-old Nicholas Flacco was with a group gathered Saturday night in FDR Park after tailgating at a Phillies game. Several fights between females broke out, and an unidentified woman was heard threatening to "call her man and that they should be afraid."

Police say a man with a revolver arrived and fired a revolver into the air and to the side. He left but returned 10 or 15 minutes later and shot Flacco.

"They dared him to shoot them," said Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith. "They told us that they didn't believe the gun was real at that time."

Flacco was hit in the chest and was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, but died there a short time later.

Flacco is the son of Chris Flacco, the chief inspector of internal affairs at the Philadelphia Police Department. Authorities say he was a college student at Penn State University who had returned home for the weekend to celebrate his birthday.

The Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police (FOP Lodge 5) has announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a suspect in the fatal shooting. The Philadelphia Firefighters and Paramedics Union Local 22 is contributing $5,000. The City of Philadelphia offers a standard $20,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in all homicides, so a total of $35,000 is being offered in Flacco's case.

FOP Lodge 5 President John McNesby called the murder "a senseless act of violence."

Saturday night's shooting incident was one of five homicides over the weekend in Philadelphia. The city has now registered 80 homicides this year which is eight more than this time in 2018.

"It's extremely frustrating," said Captain Smith. "If the community came together we wouldn't have this problem -- certainly not to this degree."

Anyone with information is urged to call Philadelphia Homicide Unit at 215-686-3334 or 215-686-TIPS.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.