Three people were killed and 11 were injured in a shooting in central Philadelphia on Saturday night, authorities said.
Police patrolled South Street, a busy area with many restaurants and bars, “watching several active gunmen shoot in the crowd,” said Inspector DF Pace of the Philadelphia Police Department at a news conference early Sunday.
One of the officers shot one of the gunmen, but it is unclear whether the gunman was shot, Inspector Pace said.
Fourteen victims were taken to hospitals after the shooting, he said, adding that two men and one woman had been pronounced dead on arrival. They are Christopher Miners, Alexis Quinn and Gregory “Japan” Jackson, according to Senator Vincent J. Hughes.
Of the 10 patients taken to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, three are dead, three are in stable condition and four have been discharged, said Damien Woods, a spokesman for the hospital.
“You can imagine hundreds of people just enjoying South Street, as they do every weekend when this shooting broke out,” said Inspector Pace.
He said the investigation was ongoing and that police would review surveillance records to help identify the armed men.
At least two weapons were found at the scene, one with an extended cartridge, Inspector Pace said, adding that numerous shell casings were dotted in the area.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenny issued a statement Sunday morning expressing his condolences to the victims’ families and calling for more restrictions on firearms. “We cannot accept continuing violence as a way of life in our country.” he said. “Until we look at the availability and easy access to firearms, we will always fight hard.
The shooting was the 10th in Philadelphia on Friday and Saturday, according to the Archives of Gun Violence, a non-profit organization that tracks shooting deaths. The other nine shootings had one victim each; one led to his death. There was another shooting on High Street on Tuesday, which resulted in one injury.
Megan Ford, who worked at a bar down the block from the shooting, said that “something was in the air” from the beginning of the evening shift, with swarms of teenagers and commotion.
“This is the second Saturday night here,” Ms. Ford said. “And it’s disgustingly heartbreaking.”
The Archives of Firearms Violence has counted nearly 240 mass shootings so far this year, identified as killing or injuring four or more people. Shootings in the United States rose sharply during the pandemic.
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