Penn State Student Killed After Confronting Phone Thief

A late-night walk home after watching the NBA Finals with friends ended in a fatal shooting for a Penn State senior in South Philadelphia, and police are now searching for his killer. Billy Schmidt, 22, was just yards from his family's home around 1:30am Saturday when he was shot in the chest; he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital less than 20 minutes later, People reports. Security footage reviewed by investigators appears to show Schmidt asking somebody to return his stolen phone, Fox News reports.

In the video, a man tosses a cellphone, another person runs around a corner, and Schmidt chases after him before a series of gunshots is heard, police say. No arrests have been made. "It looked like the one kid went and hid and the other one took the phone and he asked for the phone back and chased the kid and the other one just turned around and shot him," father Bill Schmidt tells NBC 10.

Schmidt, who was set to graduate from Penn State in December, is being remembered by family as a caring young man. His father says he was a communication major who hoped to work for the Philadelphia Eagles after graduation. "I want justice, I want the kid that shot Billy to be found," a neighbor says. "If anyone has any information or recognizes anything about the kids, I would love for them to come forward." A GoFundMe organized by Schmidt's sister has raised more than $54,000.