A routine winter chore in southwest Philadelphia ended in fatal violence on January 26, 2000. Michael Kirkpatrick, 31, was shot after a dispute over where a neighbor was piling shoveled snow behind a row house. The conflict began when Louis Mockewich, reported to be 34, was shoveling and stacked snow near a Ford pickup truck owned by Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick’s father went outside to object first, the argument escalated, and Michael then came outdoors. During the confrontation Mockewich allegedly produced a pistol and shot Kirkpatrick; the bullet passed through Kirkpatrick’s shoulder and chest and he died.

Police arrested and charged Louis Mockewich in connection with the killing; later records list him as Louis Joseph Mockewich and show variant spellings of the surname including Mochewich and Mockewich.

Did anyone in southwest Philadelphia at the time recall seeing the confrontation or have information about the events behind that row house?