Temple University grad shot dead on Philadelphia sidewalk ‘for no apparent reason’

A Temple University graduate’s final moments before he was fatally shot near Drexel University were captured on surveillance video.

Everett Beauregard, 23, was on his way home from a night out with friends at a bar in South Philadelphia just before 12:30 a.m. Thursday when he was shot in the back of the neck, Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith said Friday at a press conference.

Surveillance footage of the fatal encounter, released by the department’s Homicide Division, shows the suspect walking down the street before Beauregard passes by and the former turns and shoots at the victim from behind. The suspect continued to fire the weapon as he ran off.

The shooter was wearing a black hoodie with a full-length front zipper, black pants, and a light colored face mask at the time of the killing.

“Tragically, Mr. Beauregard’s life was cut short by this horrific act of violence and for no apparent reason whatsoever. This was not a robbery attempt as we initially believed,” said Smith. “This wasn’t an argument. ... Not a word was spoken between the two, prior to the offender turning and shooting Mr. Beauregard in his back.”

Noting that the victim, who worked for Wells Fargo and was preparing to pursue his master’s degree, “wasn’t part of a gang” and “didn’t deal drugs,” Smith said Beauregard was “by all accounts ... a good person, going about his day, living his life.”

Smith told the public that a $20,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer.

Those who have information are asked to call in tips, which can be made anonymously, to the homicide unit at 215-686-3334 or the department’s real-time crime center at 215-686-8477.