Gun Reportedly Pointed At Okafor As Part Of Heckling Incident In October

After yesterday's viral video of Jahlil Okafor fighting with fans in Boston, I wondered whether or not the disastrous start of this season could possibly get worse. The answer to that question is a resounding yes, after Keith Pompey broke the news that Okafor was involved previously in an altercation in early October at a Philadelphia night club. The details uncovered are disturbing and involve Okafor being threatened with a gun. Here is Keith for the Inquirer, via Philly.com

According to five sources who spoke to The Inquirer independently on condition of anonymity, Thursday morning's incident in Boston was not the first time Okafor has been in an altercation with a heckler while out and about.

At a Philadelphia club in October, sources said that Okafor exchanged words with a heckler while with teammates. As he and his teammates left the club, a source said, the heckler pointed a gun to Okafor's head outside the establishment.

A source said the incident was witnessed by federal officers, but there is no known official report of the incident. Okafor did not want to speak about the situation.

John Gonzalez of CSN Philly then reported more details, corroborating Keith's story and adding locations and incident details:

Jahlil Okafor had a gun pointed at him during an altercation with two unidentified men in early October, a witness tells CSNPhilly.com.

The 19-year-old Sixers' rookie was outside an Old City nightclub after 2 a.m. on October 4 when he and another person began arguing with two men sitting in a parked car near the corner of 2nd and Walnut Streets, according to a witness. The verbal disagreement escalated and a witness said he saw Okafor try to punch the driver through the open driver's side window. During the altercation, the driver and passenger exited the car and the passenger pointed a gun in the direction of Okafor and his associate, per the witness.

U.S. Park Rangers — who patrol nearby Independence Hall — arrived on the scene during the altercation, according to separate reports filed by the U.S. Park Rangers and the Philadelphia Police Department and obtained by CSNPhilly.com. The man who exited the passenger side of the car fled on foot and appeared to toss his gun, per multiple witnesses. According to the police report, the driver got into a black Camaro with red stripes and sped off. The car was not stopped.

Okafor continues to play tonight against the Rockets, but with this incident adding to Wednesday night's, there is clearly a problem that the team needs to address relating to Okafor's activities outside of work. As has been mentioned before, Okafor is an adult and is responsible for his own behavior, but the Sixers need to address how that activity affects the team's, and his, well-being as soon as they possibly can.