Murder Charge Filed In Philly Firefighter's Death

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia authorities filed a murder charge against a man they said killed his uncle, who happened to be a Philadelphia firefighter.

Isaac Zayas, 27, of Philadelphia, was charged with murder Thursday.

The charges stem from the death of Antonio Rodriguez, a 56-year-old member of the Philadelphia Fire Department.

Police were called to the 4700 block of Shelmire Avenue for a report of a disturbance involving a person with a gun at about 3:51 a.m. Wednesday.

When officers arrived, they found a 27-year-old man, later identified as Zayas, behind a locked security gate enclosing the front porch.

After getting inside, officers found an unresponsive man, later identified as Rodriguez, inside the residence with no visible signs of injury.

Rodriguez was pronounced dead at 4:13 a.m. Wednesday.

Zayas told police he had fatally assaulted Rodriguez, authorities said.

He was taken into custody without incident and taken to the Homicide Unit for further investigation before eventually being charged.

"The Philadelphia Fire Department is heartbroken over the death of one of our members overnight," the fire department said in a social media post. We are working closely with the Philadelphia Police Department as they investigate. We ask that everyone keep the member's family and our colleagues in your thoughts as we process this tragedy."

The investigation remains active and ongoing.

Zayas is being held without bail and is scheduled for a Nov. 3 preliminary hearing, according to court documents.