In the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia on a Monday morning in February 2012, a dispute between neighbors escalated into a fatal encounter. Lonnie Workman, a 30-year-old man, was shot and killed on the 5500 block of Blakemore Street, the very block where he resided. The incident, which occurred around 10:40 a.m., is believed to have been sparked by an argument. Workman was struck by a single bullet to his side and was pronounced dead at a local hospital less than an hour later.
A graduate of Martin Luther King High School, Workman was known as an independent handyman skilled in carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work.
The investigation into Lonnie Workman's death quickly focused on his neighbor, Adrian 'Rasheen' McCall, who was 32 years old at the time. According to witnesses, Workman was seen upset and 'ranting and raving' shortly before the shooting, expressing a desire to have a 'fair box,' or a fight, with McCall. An argument then broke out between the two men. Following the altercation, McCall allegedly shot Workman.
Adrian 'Rasheen' McCall was subsequently arrested and charged with murder in connection with the shooting death of his neighbor, Lonnie Workman. In a preliminary hearing held in June 2012, which was attended by a courtroom filled with Workman's family and friends, a judge ordered McCall to be held for trial. Initially, the charge was third-degree murder, but prosecutors later sought to have him charged with 'murder generally.' This would allow a jury to consider a first-degree murder conviction. McCall's defense attorney argued that Workman had been the aggressor in the situation. Two witnesses, who were relatives of McCall, initially told investigators they saw him shoot Workman, though they later distanced themselves from those statements during the preliminary hearing.
