Man who intervened in couple’s fight charged with murder

PHILADELPHIA – Police say a man who interrupted a random couple’s argument near Drexel University in Philadelphia and fatally shot the boyfriend has been charged with murder.

Authorities said Thursday that 24-year-old Joseph Howanski has been charged with murder and reckless endangerment for the killing of Merlos Mukaj. The 21-year-old victim was pronounced dead late Tuesday.

A police lieutenant says the shooter didn’t know the couple and that he shot the victim three times.

The shooting happened near one of the college’s student housing complexes. A Drexel spokeswoman says Howanski is a former student of the university but Mukaj never attended the school.

Court records did not list an attorney for Howanski.