Hundreds of neighbors attend vigil at murder site

Fishtowners and friends show up en masse to remember Shane Kelly, who was killed early Sunday morning.

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Hundreds of neighbors attend vigil at murder site

POSTED: Tuesday, November 15, 2011, 12:05 PM

TV news rigs circled like hawks last night around the 1300 block of Hewson Street as hundreds of neighbors, family and friends filled the pavement with candles in hand. The impromptu vigil, organized seemingly by no one, was both a memorial to Shane Kelly, 27, who was killed over the weekend, and a show of outrage against violence in this sleepy corner of Fishtown.

“This rocked our community to the core,” said Margi Megill, who had come out to show who support and to demand more from the 26th District police, whose beat also encompasses South Kensington. “We need the police and elected officials to pay more attention to our community. You can’t put all your resources on the other side of Front Street.”

Neighbors said Kelly had moved to the neighborhood just three weeks ago, after spending a year rehabbing his house on Ritner Street. Late Saturday night, Ryan McManus, a local man, allegedly confronted Kelly and his girlfriend in the street, then shot him while fleeing the scene.

A.J. Thompson, a longtime Fishtown resident, held his young daughter as he led the group on a walk around the block where Kelly was killed.

“I never thought I would take my kids to a murder vigil two blocks from my house,” he said. “As a father and a neighbor, this is one of the saddest days of my life.”

Posted by Samantha Melamed @ 12:05 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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