One PA canvasser shot dead by fellow staffer on campaign trail in Philadelphia

A Philadelphia man canvassing for a progressive organization was fatally shot by a fellow campaign staffer Monday while the two were handing out flyers ahead of the city’s mayoral primary election.

Eddie Brokenbough, 46, was struck once in his left armpit by an unidentified 22-year-old staffer around 4 p.m. in the East Germantown neighborhood, police said.

Brokenbough was rushed to a nearby hospital but died 15 minutes after he was shot.

It is unclear what kicked off the deadly fight, but police believe it stemmed from a prior dispute between the pair, who were both campaigning on behalf of the progressive-leaning political group One PA.

Staff Inspector Ernest Ransom, the head of the police department’s homicide unit, told the Philadelphia Inquirer that the men “had always had a beef.”

The two “happened upon each other” and began bickering, police said, adding that Brokenbough was the first to pull out a gun — which was not registered to him — but the 22-year-old was the first to strike.

Brokenbough, a father of 10 who worked with One PA since 2021, was prohibited from legally carrying a firearm because of an earlier conviction after he shot a man in the arm for speaking to his girlfriend in 2012, the outlet said.

Though the younger staffer was in legal possession of his handgun, OnePA does not allow its canvassers to carry firearms while on the job.

The 22-year-old was questioned by homicide detectives but has not yet been charged with the murder.

He told police he was acting in self-defense.

His car was left on the street after the shooting and was visibly filled with pamphlets for OnePA.

“Today, a One PA team member tragically lost their life. We are heartbroken, and our condolences and sympathy are with their family. We are mourning this senseless loss, and continuing to gather the facts and investigate what happened,” the group said in a statement.

One PA, which describes itself as a multiracial and multi-issue membership organization, endorsed Democratic candidate Helen Gym in the May 16 primary.

The mayoral hopeful clarified that the shooting victim was not directly working as a canvasser for her campaign.

“I was devastated to hear about the tragic death of a canvasser today. My thoughts are with the family of the victim, the One PA community, and everyone impacted by this irrevocable loss. Though the canvasser was not part of our campaign, this loss is deeply felt by all of us,” she wrote on Twitter.

The shooting remains under investigation.

One PA has suspended its door-knocking campaign in the wake of the incident.