Philly Woman Beaten to Death With Hammer

A North Philadelphia woman is dead after a heated argument between her and her boyfriend turned deadly on Sunday, police say. She was allegedly beaten with a hammer.

Around 5 p.m., 22nd District police responded to the 2500 block of North 17th street where they discovered 32-year-old Izesha Gateward “bleeding from her head and body” in a second floor apartment, according to police. Gateward was pronounced dead on the scene at 5:25 p.m. after medics arrived. Police initially believed the woman had been shot, but later said that she had been beaten to death with a hammer, NBC10 reports.

Police were originally called to a “hospital case,” according to the department, meaning that it was unclear what kind of injuries the victim had sustained, but that someone would need medical attention on the scene. Upon their arrival, police learned that the victim had not been shot or stabbed, but beaten with a hammer.

Police say the initial investigation points to a “verbal altercation” as the motive of the vicious physical attack that ensued, during which Gateward’s boyfriend allegedly “struck the decedent multiple times with a hammer.”

The deadly incident reportedly took place shortly before 5 p.m. on Sunday evening, but the police have not made any arrests at this time and no descriptions of suspects have been released.

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