(Photo : Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)
Tonight, a gunman covered in a body armor vest opened fire on the streets of Philadelphia, resulting in five fatalities and two injuries to children.
Five people were murdered, and two others were injured Monday night in Philadelphia, according to police. A suspect is detained.
According to CBS Philadelphia, the incident occurred around 8:30 p.m. in the Kingsessing neighborhood of the city. A 2-year-old and a 13-year-old were injured and are in stable condition, according to Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Danielle Outlaw.
Multiple People Shot in Random Shooting in Philadelphia
Three deceased casualties were 20, 22, and 59 years old. Outlaw stated that the age of the fourth victim was unknown, but he could be between 16 and 21 years old. She stated that all the victims were males.
The 40-year-old male suspect was carrying an AR-style rifle, a handgun, and a police scanner while wearing a ballistic vest. Outlaw stated that the suspect was taken into custody "without further incident" after police officers pursuing him while he was firing, cornered him in an alley.
Another individual who fired back at the shooter was also brought into custody. Outlaw stated that she had no notion why this had occurred. It was not immediately apparent whether the victims knew the gunman.
The victims, shot across multiple city blocks, appeared randomly and had no immediate ties to the perpetrator.
According to The Sun, the suspect continued to discharge his pistol while being pursued on foot through the Kingsessing neighborhood in the city's southwest. Eventually, the individual was cornered in an alley, where he was discovered wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying "multiple magazines."
The suspect had a scanner, an AR-style rifle, and a handgun concealed beneath his body. When asked about the motive for the brutal assault, Outlaw stated, "At this time, all we know is that the gunman decided to exit their residence and target individuals."
A man was also discovered deceased at a residence where seven rifle shells were discovered on a veranda. A brief video captured by a security camera shows the shooter simply strolling down the street while firing at bystanders. At the intersection of 56th Street and Chester Avenue, where the police were dispatched, several victims were discovered.
Jasmine Reilly, a police spokesperson, said six victims were transported to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and two to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Outlaw characterized the scene as a two-by-four-block area where dozens of cartridge casings were discovered.
US Mass Shootings
Per Daily Mail, the police themselves did not discharge any bullets. The Democratic mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, tweeted about the incident approximately two hours later.
He stated that he was horrified by reports of a murder in Southwest Philadelphia. The incident occurred one day after gunfire erupted at a holiday weekend block party in Baltimore, approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the southwest, murdering two individuals and injuring 28 others.
The violence in Philadelphia is the 29th mass slaying in the United States in 2023, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University.
The United States has witnessed the maximum number of mass killings and fatalities in a single year to date this year. According to the database, there have been more than 550 mass murder incidents since 2006, in which at least 2,900 people have been killed, and at least 2,000 have been injured. Police continue to investigate the shooting.
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