Fellow Staffer Reportedly Fatally Shoots Progressive Organization Canvasser

A man canvassing for a progressive organization in Pennsylvania reportedly was shot and killed in Philadelphia’s East Germantown neighborhood.

According to reports, the individual who shot Eddie Brokenbough, 46, was an unidentified 22-year-old staffer.

Although Brokenbough was rushed to the hospital, he died shortly after being shot.

Brokenbough was fatally shot while canvassing for the progressive group One PA by another canvasser from the same organization after the two men had an altercation

Family mourns loss of canvasser, as gun violence intersects with a common campaign practicehttps://t.co/U5CgwoFmMS

— Ⓜ️Ⓜ️ Lauren Ashley Davis – OG Meidas Mighty 🇺🇦🌻 (@Meidas_LaurenA) May 10, 2023

The Philadelphia Inquirer shared details about the shooting:

On Monday, Brokenbough was fatally shot while canvassing for the progressive group One PA by another canvasser from the same organization after the two men had an altercation.

His death has thrust the machinations of political canvassing — one of the most visible but least understood facets of campaigning — into the spotlight just a week before Philadelphia’s May 16 primary elections for mayor, City Council, and other municipal offices.

The shooting also underscored the relevance of the most important issue in the election: the city’s ongoing gun violence crisis. Both men involved were armed, police said, and the shooter, 22, told investigators he was acting in self-defense.

One PA is an independent expenditure committee that works to boost its slate of endorsed candidates but operates separately from their campaigns. The group aims to increase political involvement in underinvested neighborhoods and says it doesn’t ask about criminal records during the hiring process.

The group had paid Brokenbough, who lived in North Philadelphia, $555 three days earlier to canvass for mayoral candidate Helen Gym and City Council candidate Seth Anderson-Oberman ahead of the Democratic primary, according to campaign finance records.

A man was fatally shot Monday in East Germantown in what police described as a dispute between him and another man, both of whom were canvassing for the city’s upcoming primary election on behalf of OnePA, a progressive-leaning political group.https://t.co/erAd9YtMYr

— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) May 9, 2023

The New York Post added:

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.