Philly's Homicide Count Hit 353 last year... - Philadelphia Has Gone To Hell In A Handbasket

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...d-daylight-near-olney-transportation-station/

Eight People Shot In Broad Daylight Near Olney Transportation Station, Philadelphia Police Say
By CBS3 Staff
February 18, 2021 at 8:25 am

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Eight people, ranging in age from 17 to 71 years old, were shot in broad daylight near SEPTA’s Olney Transportation Station on Wednesday afternoon. The shooting left a 71-year-old man fighting for his life.

Philadelphia Police say the shooting happened shortly before 3 p.m. at Broad Street and Olney Avenue. It’s a very active investigation and a terrifying scene for eyewitnesses.

Six of the victims were taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center while the other was transported to Temple University Hospital by police. Police say the victims range from 17 to 71 years old.

Police say the 71-year-old man is in critical condition after he was shot once in the stomach and several times in both legs. The six other victims are all in stable condition.

“It’s very brazen. We had officers, whether it’s from SEPTA, were out here. We were able to get someone in custody as quickly as we did because we had officers in the area working on another assignment,” Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said. “So it’s not for our lack of presence out here, but I think it’s very telling that folks that are willing to engage in these shootings are becoming more and more emboldened, regardless or not if they see us out here.”

Police initially said there were seven victims, but an eighth, a 48-year-old man, walked into Albert Einstein Medical Center with a graze wound to his stomach.

People ran for their lives as the gunfire erupted at Broad Street and Olney Avenue.

“It was like why is people going bananas out here like that? Why is they acting like this? It should be no reason why the community is like this,” witness Will Barton said.

A person was taken into custody following a foot chase by police but their involvement in the shooting is not known at this time. Two firearms were recovered.

At least 18 shell casings were found at the scene and police are working to find whoever is responsible for this brazen shooting. They do know a car was involved.

Police are asking any witnesses to share any information.

“This is happening far too often, this happened in broad daylight and we need everyone to come together to help us solve these cases,” Outlaw said.

Mayor Jim "Banana Nose" Kenney released a statement on the shooting.

“I refuse to accept this emergency situation as normal. We must rise together with one clear and united moral voice against the evil act of violence. People have the right to travel between work and home, and around town, without the fear of being shot, and possibly killed, by reckless, indiscriminate gunfire,” Kenney said.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...er-growing-list-of-shootings-involving-teens/

Gun Violence Taking Toll On Philadelphia Youth After Growing List Of Shootings Involving Teens
By CBS3 Staff
March 12, 2021 at 6:45 am

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Gun violence is taking a toll on Philadelphia’s youth. Police are investigating several shootings, including one at a West Philadelphia recreation center where a 15-year-old boy was killed and two other 15-year-olds were injured.

Mayor Jim "Banana Nose" Kenney says at this rate, Philadelphia is on track to experience its most violent year ever.

On Thursday, police added two more shootings to their growing list of investigations.

Between the two, seven people were shot and two of those people died, one of them just 15 years old.

Four people were shot in broad daylight Thursday afternoon on the 1400 block of North 76th Street in Overbrook. Chopper 3 was over that scene as police investigated after violence there left two dead and two others injured.

“We have a neighborhood that is traumatized by having four people shot in what appears to be a shootout, and a shootout in an area that is normally peaceful,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said.

Investigators are trying to determine a motive for the attack.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw is asking eyewitnesses to step forward.

“Given the number of people shot and what time, it’s not only puzzling, but it leads us to believe there are more people out here that know about what happened,” Outlaw said.

Hours later, three more people were shot. This time, all teenagers and all inside the Christie Rec Center at 55th and Christian Streets in West Philadelphia. Gunfire erupted there just after 7:30 p.m.

A 15-year-old boy was shot in the back of the neck and killed. Another 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl were also grazed by bullets. They’re expected to be OK.

As police work to track down the gunmen in both shootings, Mayor Kenney addressed the spike in youth violence and issued a statement that reads in part, “At this rate, 2021 is on track to be the most violent year we’ve experienced in our lifetimes. We cannot stand by as we lose an entire generation to this ongoing scourge of gun violence. We must rise up with one united voice to demand this horrific violence come to an end, and work together to achieve that goal.”

Kenney says starting next week, his administration will host regular briefings to share strategies that are now underway to address violence.

No arrests have been made in these latest cases.

Anyone with information should call police.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...an-killed-mantua-wissinoming-double-shooting/

Police: Man Shot, Killed In Mantua; Wissinoming Double Shooting Sends Two Men To Hospital
By CBS3 Staff
March 13, 2021 at 9:00 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A 25-year-old man is dead after a shooting in Philadelphia’s Mantua neighborhood. Police said it happened just before 6 p.m. on the 600 block of North 34th Street.

According to police, the victim was shot one time in his head. He was rushed to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where is police said he was pronounced dead at 6:21 p.m.

Police said at this time, there have been no arrests.

The investigation is ongoing.

Elsewhere in the city, a 21-year-old man is in the hospital after a North Philadelphia shooting.

Police said the man was shot once in his right leg. He was taken to Temple University Hospital, where authorities said he has been placed in stable condition.

Police said an apprehension has been made in connection to this shooting, but no weapon has been recovered.

In Wissinoming, police said two men were hospitalized in a double shooting. It happened just after 6:30 p.m. on the 4800 block of Tackawanna Street, according to police.

Authorities said a 19-year-old man was shot once in his right elbow and once in his abdomen. A second victim is a 45-year-old man, according to police. He was shot three times in the leg.

Both victims are in stable condition, police said.

No arrests have been made in the double shooting, according to police.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...at-least-102-homicides-just-months-into-year/

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Addresses Soaring Gun Violence With At Least 102 Homicides Just Months Into Year
By Kimberly Davis
March 16, 2021 at 11:18 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A vigil was held in West Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon to remember 16-year-old Kahree Simmons, a young life ended abruptly by gunfire. Simmons was killed at Christy Rec Center last week.

A boy and girl, both 15, were also shot that night. They are expected to survive.

A town hall was held tonight in response to the recent gun violence.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw says when she first came to Philadelphia, she asked the district attorney to assign someone from his office to work full time with the police department to do real-time assessments on how so many criminals are being let back out on the streets after facing gun charges. This just went into effect in December, and the commissioner says it’s time for everyone to step up.

The sound of gunfire is unfortunately a common disturbance in Philadelphia — a noise many have become desensitized to unless you’ve experienced that gun violence firsthand, like the family of 16-year-old Kahree Simmons.

On Tuesday afternoon, Kahree’s friends and family gathered for a balloon release. The 16-year-old was gunned down at the Christy Recreation Center last week.

The teen is just one of the 102 people killed in Philadelphia just three months into the year.

Tuesday evening, City Councilmember Allan Domb hosted a virtual town hall to address the city’s public emergency where Outlaw joined in the conversation.

“We saw, like I said, an increase in the number of guns on the street. We took almost 5,000 illegal guns off the street. But what we found was that there were a lot of commonalities between our shooters, our victims of shootings, and areas around the fact that a lot of them had open gun cases,” Outlaw said.

Commissioner Outlaw laid out a crime prevention and violence reduction action plan in June of 2020. But the pandemic, unrest and funding issues impacted this plan.

She added events like this town hall help curve the problem when the community gets involved, but they also need residents’ support.

“The police are not the sole solutions,” Outlaw said.

The Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity will hold a news conference Thursday afternoon where they will lay out their plan to eliminate gun violence in Philadelphia. It will be held at 1 p.m. at Janes Memorial United Methodist Church at 47 E. Haines Street in Germantown.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...-old-city-shooting-philadelphia-gun-violence/

Philadelphia ‘Should Not Be Left To Fend For Itself’ After 4 People Killed, 5 Others Injured Monday Night
By Matt Petrillo
April 6, 2021 at 6:12 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia Police identified the man who was killed in Old City during a violent night across the city on Monday night. The victim is 25-year-old Jhalil Shands.

The deadly shooting happened just two blocks from Independence Hall in the heart of Old City, shocking neighbors.

“It’s very sad what I’m seeing,” Gary Evans said.

Crime scene tape is still left behind in front of the Science History Institute at 3rd and Chestnut Streets in Old City after a deadly shooting that took Shands’ life around 9:30 p.m. Monday.

“Everyone has a gun now. It’s ridiculous,” Evans said.

Officers say Shands was with his girlfriend, walking together when four men were seen getting out of a van, each pulling out guns and firing nearly 30 shots, killing the victim.

The motive remains unclear.

Gun violence also took the lives of three other people in Philadelphia on Monday night.

Police say that includes a 32-year-old man fatally shot during a cookout. He later died.

In North Philadelphia, a man sitting in a car was shot and killed, and a man sitting in a pickup truck in West Philadelphia was fatally shot shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday.

In addition to those deadly shootings Monday night and into early Tuesday morning, police say five other people were shot and injured in shootings that happened in Kensington, Brewerytown and Southwest Philadelphia.

“It’s easier to get a gun in Pennsylvania than a driver’s license,” Mayor Jim "Banana Nose" Kenney said.

Kenney says his administration is working on what he calls a roadmap to curb gun violence.

“As we roll out of this pandemic and get our systems back in order, the violence will go down and we’ll get to some sense of normalcy,” Kenney said.

Experts add that getting a real handle on gun violence in America’s biggest poorest city comes with a hefty financial cost.

“What we need to do is, we need to spend the money to put programs back in place, where we have violence protection experts, where we have job training,” said Charles Gallagher, professor and chair of La Salle University’s Departments of Sociology and Criminal Justice. “But these things cost money and the city doesn’t have money.”

The shooting in Old City also happened feet from Buddakan, a well-known Asian fusion restaurant owned by restauranter Stephen Starr.

In a statement to Eyewitness News, Starr said, “Center City should not be left to fend for itself. The small business owners and entrepreneurs worked valiantly to survive this year. Our leaders must join us and assure protection and safety. Mayor [Ed] Rendell sparked a revolution of pride and hope in our city that lasted decades. We need that ‘yes, we can’ spirit from our leaders to inspire us. Philadelphia is much better than what is happening right now.”
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...east-2-more-homicides-in-series-of-shootings/

Another Violent Night In Philadelphia Sees At Least 2 More Homicides In Series Of Shootings
By CBS3 Staff
April 7, 2021 at 10:50 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Another violent night in Philadelphia has seen at least two homicides and a deadly officer-involved shooting in a string of shootings across the city. Police are investigating a series of shootings across the city on Wednesday night.

According to police, a double shooting in Nicetown left a 21-year-old man dead. It happened shortly after 7 p.m. in the 2100 block of Windrim Avenue.

Police say the man was shot twice in his head and killed.

The second victim in the shooting is a 22-year-old man, who was shot once in his left calf. Police say he was taken to the hospital and placed in critical condition.

In West Philly, a 21-year-old man was shot and killed around 6:15 p.m. in the 600 block of South 55th Street. Police say he was shot twice in his head while he was in his car.

Two shootings in Kensington have left two men in critical condition at Temple University Hospital.

Authorities say a 25-year-old man was shot four times in his abdomen just after 7 p.m. in the 3000 block of Potter Street. He was rushed to the hospital and placed in critical condition.

Shortly before 5 p.m., police say a 38-year-old man was shot multiple times in the 3100 block of B Street. He was placed in critical condition at the hospital, according to police.

There have been no arrests at this time, according to police.

As of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, there have been 129 homicides in the city, up 33% from this point last year.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...ke-lives-at-near-record-pace-in-philadelphia/

‘No Vaccine For Gun Violence’ As Shootings Continue To Take Lives At Near-Record Pace In Philadelphia
By CBS3 Staff
April 8, 2021 at 7:55 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Here in Philadelphia, gun violence continues to take lives. Trauma centers in all parts of the city are stressed by the increase in gunshot victims.

“We have recognized for the longest time that gun violence is a public health crisis. So seeing COVID-19 and the increase in gun violence kind of side by side reinforces to us for sure that it is a public health crisis and we need to address it in the same way,” said Dr. Amy Goldberg, surgeon-in-chief for Temple University Health System. “Thank goodness there are cures now for COVID-19, there’s treatments, there are vaccines. No cure for gun violence, no vaccine for gun violence.”

Last year, nearly 500 people were killed and more than 2,200 were shot in Philadelphia.

The only time more people were killed in the city was in 1990.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...razed-by-bullet-in-north-philadelphia-police/

10-Year-Old Boy Recovering After Grazed By Bullet In North Philadelphia: Police
By CBS3 Staff
April 11, 2021 at 7:42 am

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A 10-year-old boy is recovering after he was shot in North Philadelphia. Police say the boy was grazed by a bullet around 10:30 p.m. Saturday at West York Street and Park Avenue.

The child was rushed to the hospital and is now in stable condition.

Police say they’ve recovered the gun, but no arrests have been made.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...mes-in-west-oak-lane-philadelphia-police-say/

Man Dies After Being Shot Four Times In West Oak Lane, Philadelphia Police Say
By CBS3 Staff
April 10, 2021 at 9:03 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A 34-year-old man has died after he was shot in the head in Philadelphia’s West Oak Lane neighborhood. Police said the shooting happened shortly before 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The shooting happened on the 1800 block of Plymouth Street.

Police said the man was shot three times in the head and once in the chest.

He was rushed to an area hospital, where authorities said he was pronounced dead at 7:39 p.m.

Police are also investigating several other shootings on Saturday.

Shortly after 6:30 p.m., police said a 35-year-old man was shot in his stomach and his forearm in the 5000 block of North Broad Street. He was placed in stable condition at an area hospital.

Police are also investigating a triple shooting outside of an illegal after-hours club in North Philadelphia. Gunshots rang out just before 7 a.m. on the 2100 block of Ridge Avenue.

According to police, a 21-year-old security guard at the club was shot multiple times. He was placed in critical condition at Temple University Hospital, along with a 33-year-old man who was also shot multiple times. The third man is a 25-year-old who was shot once. Police said he’s hospitalized in stable condition.

Just after midnight Saturday, police said a 24-year-old man was killed after he was shot in the 2000 block of West Dauphin Street in North Philadelphia.

So far, there are no arrests in any of these shootings.

As of 11:59 p.m. Friday, there have been 132 homicides in Philadelphia. That’s a 32% increase from this point last year, according to Philly police statistics.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...-in-head-inside-west-philadelphia-laundromat/

Police: Man Fighting For Life After Being Shot In Head Inside West Philadelphia Laundromat
By CBS3 Staff
April 27, 2021 at 10:14 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Police say a man was critically injured when he was shot in the head inside of a West Philadelphia laundromat. It happened on the 5800 block of Market Street after 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Police say the 52-year-old victim was shot once in the head and twice in the leg. He is currently in critical condition at the hospital.

No arrests have been made.

Around the same time, a man in his late teens or early 20s was shot multiple times and killed in East Germantown. It happened on the 6200 bock of Ogontz Avenue.

No arrests have been made in this case either.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2021/05/02/philadelphia-violent-weekend-shootings-stabbings/

Philadelphia Police Investigating Several Shootings, Stabbings As City Sees Another Violent Weekend
By Howard Monroe
May 2, 2021 at 8:08 am

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It’s been a violent weekend in Philadelphia. Police are investigating multiple acts of violence throughout the city. In total, seven people were either shot or stabbed.

Philadelphia police say one of those victims, a man in his 20’s, is hanging on to life. He was shot multiple times just before 1 a.m. on the 1600 block of W. Loudon Street in Logan. He was taken to Einstein Hospital and is listed in critical condition.

In North Philadelphia, three people are recovering after a shooting on Dauphin Street. The shooting happened in the middle of the afternoon just before 3 p.m. All of the victims are recovering at Temple University Hospital.

In Kensington, a 33-year-old man was shot and killed. The shooting happened just before 9 p.m. on the 2000 block of E. Silver Street.

Police also responded to a barricade situation in East Germantown. It happened on the 1000 block of Chelten Avenue just after 7:30 p.m. One woman was killed, and two men were stabbed multiple times and are recovering at Einstein Hospital. After locking himself in a house, the suspect was eventually arrested.

As for the other incidents, no one has been arrested.

According to police data, 169 people have been killed so far this year. That’s 33% higher than this time last year.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...des-violent-mothers-day-weekend-gun-violence/

Philadelphia Shooting Homicides Up 40% From 2020 After 7 Killed In Violent Mother’s Day Weekend
By Joe Holden
May 10, 2021 at 6:08 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Philadelphia homicide detectives have eight new cases on their hands after a weekend of non-stop violence. Police are pleading for people to put the guns down following senseless shootings that went on all weekend long.

The gun violence crisis is affecting communities all over the city.

Homicide rates are soaring in Philadelphia — 186 as Monday evening. Homicide by shooting cases have increased 40% from 2020, according to records reviewed by CBS3.

A deadly Mother’s Day weekend left seven people dead and 25 people shot. Police say the responsibility to make change lies largely within the community.

“It’s up to the community, it’s up to these individuals that are committing these acts of violence. They have to take a step back and say, ‘Wow, is this really worth it? Are we going to continue to go in this direction,'” Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said.

As percentages year over year go, Philadelphia is double digits ahead of homicides, even in Chicago. That city is experiencing a 20% climb versus Philadelphia’s 36% spike.

Investigators point to anomalies, like the leap in retaliatory shooting cases in Olney. That figure year over year across the city is up a whopping 85%.

With warmer weather trends of increased gun violence on the doorstep, police commanders will tell you they are very concerned.

“This is more violence than I’ve ever seen so we’re very concerned. We need people to put down the guns, to know that if someone has a gun they gotta let us know so we could try to intervene before that gun gets used in a crime,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Frank Vanore said.

The statistics are alarming.

The most startling one involves children and teens. This time last year, there were eight juvenile homicide victims. This year, the number is 20 so far in 2021 — a 150% year over year increase.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...-as-gun-violence-plagues-philadelphia-monday/

2 People Killed, At Least 4 Others Injured As Gun Violence Plagues Philadelphia Monday
By CBS3 Staff
May 10, 2021 at 8:28 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — After an especially violent Mother’s Day weekend in Philadelphia, the gun violence continued Monday evening. Four shootings have left two men dead and at least four others injured.

A 17-year-old is fighting for his life after police say he was shot in the face in the city’s Germantown neighborhood. It happened on the 5000 block of Wade Street around 7:30 p.m.

Police say the teen was rushed to the hospital and placed in critical condition.

Elsewhere Monday, a shooting in the city’s Strawberry Mansion left a 20-year-old man dead. It happened near North 29th and Oakdale Streets around 5 p.m.

Police say the man was shot in the face, chest and arm and was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

In Kensington, another 20-year-old was killed after being shot in the chest. It happened on the 3100 block of Jasper Street just before 4 p.m.

A 28-year-old man was also shot in the incident. He is in stable condition.

A double shooting in North Philadelphia left a 45-year-old man fighting for his life. It happened on the 3400 block of North Howard Street just before 5 p.m.

The 45-year-old man was shot multiple times throughout his body and is currently listed in critical condition.

Additionally, a 72-year-old man was shot once in the cheek. He is currently in critical but stable condition, according to police.

No arrests have been made in any of the shootings.

The Monday afternoon outburst of gunfire follows a weekend that left seven people dead and 25 people shot.

“This is more violence than I’ve ever seen so we’re very concerned. We need people to put down the guns, to know that if someone has a gun they gotta let us know so we could try to intervene before that gun gets used in a crime,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Frank Vanore said.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...gs-stabbings-across-philadelphia-in-24-hours/

Police Investigating Multiple Shootings, Stabbings Across Philadelphia In 24 Hours
By Howard Monroe
May 16, 2021 at 8:32 am

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Philadelphia police are busy investigating several acts of violence throughout the city once again. Stabbings and shootings have sent a number of victims to the hospital over the last 24 hours.

One of the victims was killed. That man was 31 years old and he was shot in the head on Fayette Street in West Oak Lane. The shooting happened just after 10 p.m. Saturday. The victim was found in a driveway.

Also on Saturday night, a man was stabbed outside of a bar on Snyder Avenue in South Philly, and on Saturday afternoon there was a double shooting in North Philly. Two men in their mid-20’s were shot and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

To combat the gun violence in the city, last week multiple lawmakers joined forces to call for more community-based initiatives to get at the problem. If passed by the legislature, a grant program would be established to support groups that are fighting gun-related violence.

“The benefit that could come from a statewide, a statewide victory is turning on the lights and the minds and the hearts and the souls of the children who thought there was no way for them.” Pennsylvania Sen. Vincent Hughes said. “There are dollars available for them! There are dollars available for them! There are dollars available for them! We are not crying poor. We are not crying poor! We have the dollars available. The question is do we have the will to make it happen?”

According to city data, 192 people have been killed so far this year in Philadelphia. That’s 37% higher than this time last year.

One police officer told Eyewitness News that this is the worst he’s seen it in his 30-year career.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...-park-shooting-leaves-2-teens-dead-1-injured/

2 Teens Killed, 1 Injured In 3 Separate Shootings Throughout Philadelphia
By CBS3 Staff
May 26, 2021 at 7:04 am

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Two teenagers were killed and another was wounded in three separate shootings in Philadelphia in just a matter of hours. An 18-year-old man was shot to death Tuesday night on Poplar Street in West Philadelphia, at around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

A half-hour later, just before 8 p.m., someone killed a 15-year-old boy on Sydenham Street in North Philadelphia.

At around 11:30 p.m., a 16-year-old boy was shot in the thigh on the 3800 block of North 6th Street in Hunting Park. He is in the hospital in stable condition.

Investigators are going through surveillance cameras in the neighborhood to find the gunman.

“We found numerous private residences and businesses with exterior surveillance cameras. So East Detectives are processing the scene, and hopefully, these cameras recorded something that can help us with this shooting,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

So far, police have no arrests or motives in the shootings.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...-park-shooting-leaves-2-teens-dead-1-injured/

2 Teens Killed, 1 Injured In 3 Separate Shootings Throughout Philadelphia
By CBS3 Staff
May 26, 2021 at 12:24 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Two teenagers were killed and another was wounded in three separate shootings in Philadelphia in just a matter of hours Tuesday. Police say 18-year-old Nasir Marks was shot to death on the 3900 block of Poplar Street in West Philadelphia, at around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

A school spokesperson says Marks was a senior at Overbrook High School. He was supposed to graduate next month.

A half-hour later, just before 8 p.m., someone killed a 15-year-old boy on the 2500 block of Sydenham Street in North Philadelphia. Police say the shooting appears to be targeted.

“Based on ballistic evidence, we know at least 32 shots were fired from two separate caliber semi-automatic weapons,” Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

The victim was identified as 15-year-old Kanye Pittman. He was a freshman at Benjamin Franklin High School. Grief counselors are being made available to students.

“He was shot multiple times. He was shot in the head, the neck, the chest, the torso and arm. He was unresponsive. He was bleeding heavily. Due to the fact that this 15-year-old was hit so many times, at least five times by gunfire, and the fact that he’s the only victim, we believe he may have been the intended target,” Small said.

At around 11:30 p.m., a 16-year-old boy was shot in the thigh on the 3800 block of North 6th Street in Hunting Park. He is in the hospital in stable condition.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2021/06/19/3-injured-west-philadelphia-triple-shooting-police/

3 Injured In West Philadelphia’s Second Triple Shooting Of Day, Police Say
By CBS3 Staff
June 19, 2021 at 8:52 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Police are investigating a second triple shooting in West Philadelphia Saturday. The triple shooting happened on the 5900 block of Lansdowne Avenue around 7:30 p.m. — just four blocks from a triple shooting that left 2 men dead and a toddler injured earlier this afternoon.

The gunmen were targeting a high school graduation party.

Police say a 21-year-old man was shot twice in the back and was transported to an area hospital. A 36-year-old woman was shot once in the calf, she was also transported to an area hospital.

An 18-year-old also suffered a graze wound to the back of the head and was transported to Presbyterian Hospital by police.

Police say at least 50 shots were fired.

All three victims have been placed in stable condition.

Detectives say a person of interest is being questioned and preliminary.

They do not believe the triple shooting just a few blocks away is connected, but an investigation is ongoing.

No further information is available at this time.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...ngs-as-city-off-to-a-violent-start-to-summer/

Philadelphia Police Investigating Several Overnight Shootings As City Off To A Violent Start To Summer
By Howard Monroe
June 28, 2021 at 7:10 am

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – It’s been a very violent start to the summer in Philadelphia. So far this year, at least 264 people have been killed in the city and at least three people were shot since 9 p.m. Sunday.

In Germantown, a 15-year-old boy was shot just after 2:30 a.m. Monday. That was one of several incidents in the city overnight.

In Kensington, a man was killed overnight. That shooting happened at about 12:30 a.m. Monday at Kensington Avenue and East Sergeant Street. Police responded to a report of a man shot multiple times in the stomach. He was transported to Temple University hospital but was pronounced dead just before 1 a.m.

Also from overnight, a shooting happened just off of Temple University’s campus. Police say a group of hundreds of people gathered at 16th Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue. The crowd was broken up when someone started shooting.

A man was shot multiple times and transported to Temple University Hospital. His condition is unknown. Both Temple University and Philadelphia police responded to the scene and while they were investigating more shots were fired. No injuries were reported from that second shooting, and no officers were injured.

At 9:30 p.m. Sunday, a woman showed up at the hospital with gunshot wounds to her neck and arm. She was shot at 53rd and Florence Streets in Southwest Philly. Her condition is unknown.

Also, according to the latest data available from police, 1,700 people have been shot so far this year. As for the overnight incidents, no one has been arrested.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2...jured-west-philadelphia-shooting-60th-street/

Nearly 80 Shots Fired In West Philadelphia Shooting That Injured 2 Teens, Killed 2 Men, Police Say
By CBS3 Staff
July 5, 2021 at 10:24 am

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Gun violence in Philadelphia continued over the Fourth of July weekend. Two teenagers were injured and at least two men were killed following a shooting in West Philadelphia.

As fireworks shot through the city, people in West Philadelphia say the sound of rapid gunfire overpowered any celebratory noise.

“I was on my bed,” one neighbor said. “I hear like eight shots fire then I hear another eight so I run out, cops say go back in the house. Police was already on the block.”

The deadly scene unfolded at South 60th Street just before 11 p.m. Sunday. Hours later you can still see remains on vehicles that were heavily damaged.

Police say two girls, 13 and 17 years old, were injured after the car they were riding in was struck by gunfire. The 17-year-old girl was shot in the buttocks and the 13-year-old was hit with shattered glass. Both are expected to be OK.

Two men who were near the scene were killed.

Deputy Commissioner Robin Wimberly says three people were shot, a 17-year-old girl and two men – ages 23 and 21. The girl suffered non-life-threatening injuries while the two men were pronounced dead at Presbyterian Hospital.

“Preliminary, we can see that people were celebrating the Fourth of July, not so much a block party because the streets weren’t blocked off,” Wimberly said. “However, we had 78 shell casings in this street in reference to this shooting which is very troubling, very troubling.”

A neighbor and close friend identified one of the victims as business owner 23-year-old Sakar.

“Sakar was a leader. He was a sweetheart. He had just had a baby. A business owner on the block. He was well respected,” a neighbor told Eyewitness News.

The woman who did not want to show her face, says less than 24 hours ago, friends and relatives of Sakar were celebrating the business’ one-year anniversary.

Now, they’re cleaning up after the bloodshed.

“I was praying it wasn’t him,” she said. “He’s definitely going to be missed and I’m praying for his family, his girlfriend, and their child.”

The motive behind the shooting is still unknown.

No arrests have been made.
 
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2021/07/16/philadelphia-300-homicides-2021-gun-violence/

Philadelphia Surpasses 300 Homicides So Far In 2021 As City On Pace For Record
By Matt Petrillo
July 16, 2021 at 5:26 pm

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The City of Philadelphia is marking a grim milestone. There have now been more than 300 homicides so far this year.

In a Thursday night shooting, a 14-year-old girl was struck by a stray bullet. She’s recovering, and so is another man hit during that shooting. But a third person was killed.

“I would have took a bullet for her. That’s a 14-year-old girl,” neighbor Andrew Carter-Bey said.

A barrage of bullets shattered the windows of a van here on the 1800 block of West Susquehanna Avenue by Gratz Street in North Philadelphia after shots rang out around 10:30 p.m.

That’s when police say a 14-year-old girl was on her porch when she was shot in the back by a stray bullet. She’s now in stable condition.

“It’s ridiculous to me that a 14-year-old child can’t sit on her porch at night,” Carter-Bey said.

Police say a man in his 30s was killed and a 24-year-old man was hit in the shoulder. So far, officers have not made any arrests.

“Based on ballistic evidence we know at least 17 shots were fired from a semi-automatic weapon,” Philadelphia Police Chief Insp. Scott Small said.

To curb gun violence, Philadelphia Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson says the city is spending more than $155 million this fiscal year on employment programs, neighborhood outreach and more.

“We’re working diligently each and every day to get those dollars on the ground as soon as possible,” she said.

Resources are badly needed. The city is on pace to see a record number of homicides this year.

Eyewitness News caught up with Mayor Jim "Banana Nose" Kenney Thursday to ask about the city’s grim milestone.

“I understand that. You want to concentrate on numbers, these are all lives. They’re all human beings. And every city in the country is going through this — Chicago, New York, Baltimore,” Kenney said.

In a statement released Friday, Mayor Kenney added: “While this is an appalling national trend because of the lack of commonsense federal gun laws, the local violence we’re experiencing is tearing families and communities apart here at home, and inflicting trauma on Philadelphians of all ages.”

The mayor is also encouraging leaders of local anti-violence organizations to apply for grants before next Friday.

Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw also released a statement Friday on the city’s homicides.

“Early this morning, the city surpassed 300 homicides. The brazenness with which these assaults are carried out is appalling” said Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. The lack of regard for human life is affecting innocent bystanders and our children are being caught in the crossfire.”

“The Philadelphia Police Department remains committed to ensuring the safety of all residents and visitors of Philadelphia. So far this year, we have taken almost as many guns off of the streets than we did in all of 2020. Our officers remain laser-focused on enforcing the law while deterring crime, and as I have spoken about previously, we continue to partner with local, state, and federal law enforcement to improve our operations and have access to technology that can help the PPD curb violence more effectively.”

“Again, I cannot understate the importance of the police and the community coming together and acting as partners. Social problems require a unified response. It is through collaboration that we will be able to effect long-term and sustainable change.”
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top