Aspiring Philly Teacher Killed for an iPod

June 17, 2008— -- Beau Zabel will never teach inner-city children in Philadelphia, a goal that prompted the 23-year-old to move from his small hometown of Austin, Minn., in May.

Zabel died around 1:30 a.m. early Sunday morning during an apparent robbery gone bad. Zabel was shot with a 9-millimeter handgun in the neck as he made the mile-and-a-half walk home from a part-time job at a South Philadelphia Starbucks. Zabel was pronounced dead at the scene.

"At this point we believe he was possibly followed at some point to be a victim of a robbery," Capt. James Clark, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Police Department, told ABC News. "The robbery went terribly wrong."

The killer made off with just an iPod, leaving behind Zabel's backpack, which held his wallet and cash. Police think the iPod may have been the motive for the robbery.

"We believe his iPod was taken," Clark said, laying out the suspected motive. "From family and friends, he always has that and his pocket was turned inside out where he does keep it, so at this point we do believe an iPod was taken during this robbery."

Philadelphia police released surveillance video shot at two different businesses that they hope might help identify a suspect.

One video shows Zabel as he appears to buy a soda from a vending machine near the murder scene shortly before the slaying. The other shows an unidentified person who police think may be who they are looking for.

"We see a person running a little bit and then we see him acting strangely about a block from the scene," Clark said. "He puts something in a flower pot, we believe it was possibly a gun. We then see him walk back to the flower pot and put it back in his pants."

Authorities hope the public will help them identify and locate the person in the video so they can interview him about Zabel's murder.

Zabel had moved to Philadelphia in May from Austin, a town in southern Minnesota with a population of just over 20,000. He was to be part of the Philadelphia Teaching Fellows program, which draws candidates from across the country to teach in high-need inner-city schools in exchange for free tuition that leads to earning a teaching certificate.

Zabel was described by family members in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune as a graduate of Augustana College in Illinois with a degree in philosophy, Spanish and math, and an Eagle Scout who wanted to help educate the children who need help the most. The neighborhood Zable lived in is home to the city's Italian Market and is described as "quiet," compared to several of the city's more violent sections.

Arlene Ackerman, the chief executive of the Philadelphia School District, called the killing a "senseless loss." "His desire to become an educator was inspiring," Ackerman said in a statement, "and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends."

Jerry Jordan, the president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, used the same word — "senseless" — to describe Zabel's murder. "His death leaves this city poorer because of the many lives he would inevitably have touched, and perhaps changed, as a result of his work in public education," Jordan said in a statement.

Jordan also added he hoped Zabel's death would be "a wake-up call" to address the safety issues at the city's schools.

Vincent Thompson, a school district spokesman, cautioned against pointing a finger at a dangerous school system for Zabel's death. "This was random act of violence," Thomspon said, adding that Zabel's death was one of several in the city over the same period that should not be overlooked as police hunt Zabel's killer.

Since 7:30 p.m. last evening alone, two more people are dead and three others were injured in seven separate shootings and a stabbing across Philadelphia, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. However, Zabel was the city's 139th homicide in 2008, a number well short of the 182 murders at this same point last year.

Clark, the police captain, said that the Philadelphia Police Department goes after all murder cases with the same intensity. In every one, he said, a family has lost somebody. "We go after all these murders with the same zest," Clark said, "trying to bring home whoever is guilty in all of these jobs."