Philadelphia man killed by security guard during shootout over parking space

Police say a private patrolman fatally shot a man who questioned his credentials during an argument over a parking space.

Officers said 25-year-old Mark Ellis pulled behind another car that was double-parked about 3 a.m. to drop off his fiancée at a block party in West Philadelphia.

He was unable to drive around the other vehicle, which belonged to a 25-year-old security guard who was picking up his sister, and the two men began arguing.

Both men were armed, and the security guard was wearing a bulletproof vest and badge, police said.

Ellis told the patrolman he was “not a real cop,” and police said both men began shooting at one another, although they haven’t said who fired first.

Police said Ellis, a Temple University hospital employee, was struck in the chest and died at the scene.

Investigators said they found at least nine shell casings near the shooting scene, and the patrolman, who was licensed to carry a firearm, has been questioned but hasn’t been charged.

The security guard’s name has not been released.