Milan Loncar, a recent Temple University graduate was walking his dachshund-Chihuahua mix, named Roo around 7 p.m. last Wednesday when two individuals started reaching for his pants pockets.
A 25-year-old Philadelphia man was fatally shot while walking his dog during a robbery attempt a block away from his home last Wednesday –– and a man is now in police custody, according to reports. Milan Loncar, a recent Temple University graduate, was walking his dachshund-Chihuahua mix, named Roo, around 7 p.m. last Wednesday when two individuals started reaching for his pants pockets and then shot him on a desolate street.
The pair approached him on Jefferson Street near 31st, when one of the men pointed a handgun at him and then both started going through his pockets, Philadelphia police said.
Loncar was shot once in the chest and the suspects ran from the scene. The pair were captured on surveillance video fleeing the scene.
He was taken to Temple University Hospital where he died, WPVI reported.
By Sunday, police arrested a 20-year-old suspect, Davis L. Josephus, who is facing murder charges and other related offenses, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Police took Josephus into custody the night of the shooting when Highway Patrol Officers conducted a car-stop related to a carjacking from the day before, according to the Inquirer. All four occupants fled the car, but police caught up to the driver, who was later identified as Josephus, according to the Inquirer. It was discovered that Josephus lives just two blocks away from Loncar.
Josephus was released on reduced bail Dec. 29, just two weeks before Loncar's murder, relating to several violent charges dating back two years, the Inquirer reported. He previously pleaded guilty to two robberies in January 2020 and remained in jail for the majority of 2020.
Last February, he was charged in another case with kidnapping for ransom, robbery, car theft, firearms violations, and other charges, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. A $100,000 bail was originally set, which was eventually lowered to $20,000.
He was also charged in September, while behind bars, with aggravated harassment and assault for allegedly attacking a prison guard, the outlet reported. His bail was set at $200,000 and then reduced to $12,000. In both cases, he posted just 10% of the reduced bail –– each paid on Dec. 29, the outlet reported.
He has not entered a plea yet in connection with the shooting of Loncar, according to People Magazine.
A second man considered a person of interest has also been identified in the slaying, the outlet reported.
Family members described the victim as "polite" and someone who would "never fight anybody," the Inquirer reported.
"He is so missed and we're trying to pull together and get everybody through," Loncar's mother Amy Lounsberry told WPVI. "He was going to move in with his girlfriend in March. He had graduated and had his first job and was just starting out," Lounsberry said.
“He’s selfless, constantly smiling ... He’s so charismatic and kind,” his older sister, Jelena Loncar, 27, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. She lived a few blocks away from her brother but now plans to move out of the city.
“Our college grieves for a life cut short in such a senseless manner,” Keya Sadeghipour, dean of Temple’s College of Engineering where Loncar was a student, said in a statement.
Loncar's wallet was at his house, but his house keys and cell phone were found at the scene of the shooting, his family told the outlet.
“A beloved sweet boy just starting his life,” his mother said. “everything was coming together for him."
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