Victim of Chain Street Shooting Identified, Gunman Still At Large

The Norristown Police Department has announced the identity of the victim of the Friday afternoon shooting on Chain Street.

According to the police report, an officer on patrol heard approximately 10 gun shots coming from the 600 block of Chain Street. After turning the corner from Marshall Street to Chain Street, the officer noticed a black male wearing a white t-shirt and shorts – identified as Melvin Butts, of Philadelphia – hobbling towards Oak Street while holding his left side.

Butts was later airlifted to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he required surgery to repair a gunshot wound to his left abdomen and lung, police said. Butts reportedly told police that he didn't know who shot him, according to the report.

At the scene of the shooting, police interviewed a black male wearing a red sweatshirt at the intersection of Oak Street and Jamison Alley, according to the report, and they later searched the man's vehicle, which was parked on the 700 block of George Street.

The report indicates that police found nothing of significance in the man's vehicle, and he gave a statement to a detective before leaving the area.

The gunman remains at large.

Editor's note: a prior version of this story stated that Melvin Butts was from Norristown. We have corrected the article to reflect his actual home town, which is Philadelphia. Our apologies for the error.

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