Car Full Of Gunmen Shoot, Kill Man Just Released From Prison After Pursuing Him Back Onto Police Grounds

A Philadelphia man was shot and killed early Thursday morning just after he was released from prison, authorities announced.

Rodney Hargrove, 20, was released from the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility in Holmesburgat around 1:10 a.m., Philadelphia Prisons Commissioner Blance Carney said during a press conference. Hargrove had been in jail since March 11 for theft and weapons charges, according to Carney.

Prison officials dropped Hargrove off at a bus stop across from the prison’s main gate where he was waiting for family to pick him up, Carney said. Just 47 minutes after he was released, Hargrove was pursued by a vehicle full of gunmen back onto the prison grounds.

The vehicle managed to get onto prison grounds by going under the raised arm of the prison’s main gate, Carney said. The car then followed Hargrove through the main gate before occupants of the vehicle began firing at Hargrove before they drove away.

Carney said the arm of the gate is manually opened by the correction officer assigned to the post and that the arm was already raised. Carney said the incident would be investigated in its “totality.” There were at least 10 shots fired, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia. (RELATED: Murder Trial Witness Shot And Killed At Colorado Intersection)

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said prison guards did not see the shooting occur but that they did notice a dark-colored sedan drive off. He also noted that there were no surveillance cameras facing the area where the shooting occurred.

LISTEN: Philadelphia prison inmate “shot&killed on prison grounds” was 20 year old from Philly’s Germantown section. He was released at 1am. @phillypolice & medics called for the shooting at 1:59am. Possibly waiting for ride just outside the main prison building @fox29philly pic.twitter.com/cI1lnwknmA

— Steve Keeley (@KeeleyFox29) March 18, 2021

Carney said Hargrove had no incidents while in police custody.

Police told Fox 29 that the incident “shows [the] height of ongoing gun violence & complete brazen lack of fear of being captured on video or by law enforcement.”