Left inset: John Kelly (Philadelphia Police Department). Right inset: Lauren Jardine (Facebook). Background: Cellphone video showing the alleged murder of Lauren Jardine outside a Philadelphia 7-Eleven by John Kelly (WPVI/YouTube).
In Pennsylvania, a man involved in a confrontation with his girlfriend outside a 7-Eleven store allegedly shot and killed a woman attempting to intervene. The incident reportedly involved the man taking away her gun and opening fire, authorities say.
Video footage, obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer and local ABC station WPVI, shows suspect John Kelly, 45, allegedly shooting Lauren Jardine with her own firearm during a struggle over the weapon. Jardine had been carrying the firearm illegally, according to the prosecution.
Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Jeff Hojnowski explained that Jardine, 33, was walking past the 7-Eleven at 12th and Chestnut Streets in Center City on Friday at around 5:45 p.m. when she observed Kelly in an altercation with his girlfriend while holding a screwdriver.
Jardine decided to intervene, and a verbal altercation followed. She allegedly pulled out her illegal firearm on Kelly, leading to a struggle over the gun, police noted in a probable cause affidavit acquired by The Inquirer. Charged with murder, Kelly reportedly managed to seize Jardine’s gun and shot her multiple times. He allegedly fired two more shots while standing over her after initially striking her in the head.
“He managed to disarm her,” Hojnowski shared with reporters, as reported by KYW Newsradio. “After disarming her, he stood up and, as she was trying to rise, another shot was heard. While you can’t see the muzzle flash, the sound was clear, and she fell to the ground.”
One of the shots allegedly came as Jardine was trying to grab and hold onto Kelly’s screwdriver, with Kelly telling her, “put it down,” before pulling the trigger, according to the affidavit. He then allegedly placed the gun in a mailbox.
“She was helping someone,” Jardine’s mother, Ada Jardine, told The Inquirer. “She was probably trying to tell him to leave her alone,” she said, in reference to Kelly’s girlfriend.
Jardine was reportedly in Center City for a job fair, with detectives finding her bag filled with job applications. Ada Jardine said she was trying to get a commercial driver’s license and certificates to operate forklifts and repair HVACs.
Arrest records show that Kelly has had several run-ins with law enforcement in the past, including charges in April for criminal trespass, making terroristic threats, and harassment. A manager at a 7-Eleven near 12th and Filbert Streets has reported Kelly to police multiple times and accused him of harassing employees and customers, along with theft.
“I know where you live,” Kelly told the manager after one incident, according to police. “I know what station you take the train from,” he allegedly said.
Kelly pleaded guilty to the charges in May and was sentenced to nine months of probation as a result, The Inquirer reports. Court records show that he is due in court on Sept. 22 for a preliminary hearing in his most recent case.
