Police: 3 dead, at least 11 wounded in Philadelphia shooting on South Street

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Gunfire killed three people and wounded at least 11 others in one of Philadelphia’s most popular entertainment districts late Saturday night, sending hundreds fleeing.

Police officers were patrolling the area around Second and South Street when they heard multiple gunshots and witnessed several suspects firing into a large crowd just before midnight, Police Inspector D. F. Pace said during a news conference.

Two men and a woman were among those killed in the shooting, he said. Their names were not made public by authorities. The conditions of those who were wounded by gunfire remains unknown. Police are said to be looking for two shooters.

Pace said an officer was within “10 to 15 yards” of the shooter, “watching this person shoot into the crowd when the officer engaged that shooter.”

“The officer was able to get that individual to drop his gun and flee,” he said, noting that the South Street patrol was normal as the area is “manned by numerous police officers,” especially on weekends during the busy summer season.

It is unclear if the suspect was hit, Pace said. He said police are now looking for that man, and the investigation is ongoing. “Numerous” shell casings were recovered from the scene.

“You can imagine there were hundreds of individuals just enjoying South Street, as they do every single weekend, when this shooting broke out,” Pace said. South Street is a popular spot with restaurants, clubs and shops and on a Saturday night would be crowded with patrons.

Surveillance video posted by a reporter from Fox 29 on Sunday morning show a typical busy Saturday night on South Street quickly turn chaotic when those milling around near Third Street start running from the shooting.

Other video from patrons on South Street show a large group gathered with some fighting, and many recording on cellphones, before the shooting. It was not known if those incidents were related to the shooting.

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Pace said there were “large crowds fleeing the area” after the shooting.

“The events that transpired last evening on South Street are beyond devastating. Once again, we see lives senselessly lost and those injured in yet another horrendous, brazen and despicable act of gun violence. My heart is with the family, friends, loved ones of those lost or injured, and with everyone impacted by this terrible tragedy,” Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement Sunday.

He urges anyone with information to come forward and report what they know.

Pace said police were asking business owners to review video from surveillance cameras. Pace said police expect to be able to gather “a lot of video surveillance footage” from the many businesses along the street to try to identify suspects.

On social media, some reported being locked down in businesses at some point during or after the shooting.

Two handguns were recovered, including one with an extended magazine, police said. No arrests have been made.The department said on Twitter to avoid the area. South Street is known for its entertainment venues and night life with multiple bars, restaurants and businesses.

Before Saturday’s fatal shooting, 211 people lost their lives to homicides in Philadelphia, a 6 percent increase over this time last year. In 2021, there were 562 homicide victims in the city, according to Philadelphia police.

The South Street shooting happened as Philadelphia police were investigating nine other shootings late Friday night into Saturday. One of the shootings left a pregnant woman dead and eight other injured, according to CBS3 in Philadelphia. The woman’s baby was able to be saved.

The South Street area has not been immune to the city’s gun violence.

On Tuesday, Philadelphia police said in a news release a man was shot in the shoulder when multiple people were shooting in the area of 400 South Street about 12:30 a.m. Surveillance footage showed one of the shooters firing multiple shots at the intersection of 4th and South streets, according to the department. Police said additional shooters opened fire in the 500 block of Leithgow Street, striking homes in the 400 block of Gaskill Street.

Over four dozen pieces of ballistic evidence was recovered from the crime scene, which spanned several blocks, according to the department. Police released video footage of the incident when authorities asked for the public’s help in identifying suspects.

“Our city—and country—have experienced a steep rise in gun violence over the past few years. We’ve spent these years grappling with this rising epidemic and doing everything in our power not only to stop it but to try to understand why the violence continues—it’s senseless, needless, and deeply troubling,” Kenney said Sunday.

He said his administration “continues to work relentlessly to reduce violence and create safer communities” with local and federal law enforcement.

On Sunday morning, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner tweeted about the shooting, saying it tells the state’s legislators it is time for “real action.”

“Boycott NRA lobbyists, boycott NRA donations, and bring real common sense gun regulation to Pennsylvania. Now,” he tweeted.

On Sunday morning, Damien Woods, a spokesman for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, said 10 patients were transported to the hospital after the shooting, including the three who died. One of the surviving victims has since been released, and the other six are in stable condition. Woods could provide no further information.

“This carnage was entirely predictable, because it’s been happening slowly across Philadelphia, and so many other cities, for the last two years. It will only end when elected officials in Harrisburg take action. When they say that no one needs an extended magazine to hunt. That no one needs an assault weapon for safety,” said Adam Garber, CeaseFirePA Education Fund’s Executive Director, in a statement Sunday.

“It’s time our elected officials allow us to be free. Free to party with friends on the weekend. To worship together in peace. To learn without psychologically-damaging active shooter drills. We are not free, because we as a nation live in constant fear. That will only change when our elected officials act.

“And that will only happen when every Pennsylvanian joins together to demand action. We can’t turn back time, no matter how hard we wish we could. But, we can end the violence by taking action today.”

Anyone with information can call Philadelphia Police at 215-686-TIPS.

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Police: 3 dead, at least 11 wounded in Philadelphia shooting