Investigators say an argument inside a corner market spilled into the street, where a 35-year-old man was shot as he got into his SUV.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Philadelphia police on Friday identified a 23-year-old suspect wanted in the fatal shooting of a man outside a Northeast Philadelphia convenience store, a case investigators say began with an argument inside the business and ended with gunfire in the parking area.
Authorities said Michael White is wanted on an active arrest warrant in the killing of Vaswani Brown, 35. The announcement moved the case from an overnight homicide investigation to a public manhunt, with police warning that White should be considered armed and dangerous. The shooting happened outside Fresh Mini Market at Summerdale and Magee avenues, a neighborhood business where the victim and suspect were known by the owner as regular customers.
Police said the confrontation began just after 7 p.m. Wednesday inside the market. Investigators reviewing surveillance video said White and Brown were seen arguing in the store before the dispute moved outside. As Brown got into his SUV, the gunman opened fire, according to police. Brown was taken to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital, where he later died. By Thursday night, officers were still searching for the shooter. On Friday, police publicly identified White and said he was being sought on a murder warrant, giving residents a name and description as the search widened beyond the immediate crime scene.
Investigators said White is 23, about 5 feet 11 inches tall and about 250 pounds. Police said Brown’s own gun was found at the scene, a detail that added another layer to investigators’ effort to reconstruct the final moments before the shooting. Authorities have not publicly said whether Brown drew that weapon, whether it was fired, or whether there were other witnesses outside the store when shots were fired. They also have not said how many times Brown was shot. The surveillance account released by police points to a dispute that escalated quickly, but major questions remain unresolved, including what sparked the argument and whether the men knew each other beyond being familiar faces at the market.
The shooting drew attention in a part of the city where busy corner stores often serve as informal neighborhood meeting points. Fresh Mini Market sits at an intersection in Northeast Philadelphia where drivers, pedestrians and customers move through steadily in the evening. Store owner Jose Espinal told Action News he came upon the two men arguing as he was returning from the gym and tried to calm the situation before going inside. Espinal said both men were regular customers. He also described Brown as a father who lived in the neighborhood, a detail that shifted the story from a street-corner killing to a loss felt close to home by people who knew the victim’s daily routine.
As of Friday afternoon, no arrest had been announced. The homicide investigation remained open, and police were asking the public for tips as detectives continued to work through video evidence and witness accounts. An active arrest warrant means officers can take White into custody if he is found, but court records tied to charges, bail or a preliminary hearing were not described in the report released Friday. Police also had not announced whether additional evidence, including ballistic testing or forensic review of the victim’s gun, had produced new findings. The next milestone in the case is the suspect’s arrest or a further public update from homicide investigators.
The scene described by investigators and the store owner was brief but chaotic. An argument that began under the fluorescent lights of a neighborhood market moved outside in moments, ending beside Brown’s SUV. Espinal said he tried to defuse the dispute, telling the men that life was good. His account offered one of the few human details released publicly as police kept most of the investigative file closed. Brown was not described in official statements beyond his age and name, but Espinal’s comments portrayed him as someone known in the neighborhood, not a stranger passing through. That made the shooting feel especially close for nearby residents and customers who had seen both men before.
The case stood Friday with a named suspect, an active murder warrant and detectives still searching for answers about the argument that turned deadly. The next major development is expected to be an arrest announcement or another police briefing as the manhunt continues.
Author note: Last updated March 6, 2026.