Four executed after being ‘led’ to basement of Philadelphia home

Four people were found shot to death execution-style in the basement of a Southwest Philadelphia home Monday.

Each person found just after noon in a home along the 5100 block of Malcolm Street, just off Baltimore Avenue, was shot in the head, Philadelphia police said.

The victims, two men and two women, all appeared to be in their 30s, Police Commissioner Richard Ross said.

Preliminary information made it appear the victims were “led down to the basement” then shot in the head, Ross told reporters Monday. Sources told NBC10 there was no forced entry into the home, no signs of a struggle, no weapons recovered and no witnesses.

The two men are believed to be cousins who were living in the home while it was being renovated, Ross said. While police identified three of the four victims, they did not release their names. Family members told NBC10 the two men were raised as brothers and described them as loving fathers.

A neighbor heard loud bangs late Sunday night and thought it to be construction work at the property, Ross said. Investigators believe those sounds could have been the fatal gunshots.

Police came out for a wellness check at the home Monday after a relative found the door slightly ajar, investigators said.

There’s no word yet on a motive for the shooting or possible suspect(s).