A young woman playing the role of a certain driver of her friends was fatally shot in the head by a deleted bullet in a bar in Philadelphia, police and relatives said on Wednesday.
The victim, 21-year-old Jaylin Holton, was killed late Tuesday at a Philly bar and restaurant in Northeast Philadelphia, where she went with friends, cops said.
Holton was pronounced dead in hospital hours later. A suspected man is wanted and no arrests have been made since Wednesday afternoon, a police spokesman told The Post.
Holton, who was the designated driver for her friends, was at the bar only briefly before the shooting broke out, her uncle told WPVI.
21-year-old Jaylin Holton was shot in the head late Tuesday at the Philly Bar and Restaurant in Northeast Philadelphia, where she went with friends, police and relatives said.Family Handout
“She didn’t go out often,” James Holton told the station. “They would only be there for about 15 to 20 minutes, and then a quarrel broke out and this man started firing at her.”
A group of three men interrupted a game of billiards at the bar before the shooting, a witness told WPVI.
One of the men was thrown outside and then went to a truck about 200 feet before making at least 15 shots at the bar – five of which went through the front window, including one that hit Holton, police said.
“She was not part of the disturbance,” Chief Inspector Scott Small told WPVI. “She was just a customer and she was with friends.”
Holton was at the back of the bar when she was shot, Small said. Another person inside was left with his face cut from broken glass, police said.
Holton’s grieving father said he was struggling to handle the tragic murder.
“She was just a good kid,” Jason Holton told NBC Philadelphia. “She was trying to unite her life, you know, and find herself in life. It just sucks. ”
As of Tuesday this year, 254 people were killed in Philadelphia, according to police. This is 6% less than the same time in 2021, when the City of Brotherly Love recorded a record level of 562 murders.
Police say the gunman fired 15 shots at the bar, five of which entered the front window.WCAU
Holton’s family said the killing was just another example of “reckless” shootings in the city of about 1.6 million people.
“Nobody’s doing anything,” James Holton told WPVI. “You get a mouthpiece for 20 seconds on TV and that’s it. Everyone is running around, as if the Wild West is here. Cowards shooting at a bar of 150 feet or more. Someone comes out for 10 or 15 minutes and then is dead. How is it fair? How many children have to die before people say that’s enough? “
An online fundraising campaign designed to offset Jailene’s funeral costs generated more than $ 8,000 by Wednesday lunch.
“Jail was a young, bright and beautiful young woman who had to look forward to all her life,” the website said. “She recently celebrated her 21st birthday. Now her father, sister and the rest of the family are left to mourn Jailene’s sudden tragic loss. No parent is ever really ready to lose their child. “
Jaylin Holton was at the bar only briefly before the shooting broke out.
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