4 Dead in Philadelphia Mass Shooting

2 boys, ages 2 and 13, were also injured
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 4, 2023 12:00 AM CDT
4 Dead in Philadelphia Mass Shooting
Philadelphia police investigate along 56th Street after multiple people were shot in Southwest Philadelphia, late Monday, July 3, 2023.   (Yong Kim/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

A gunman wearing a bulletproof vest opened fire on the streets of Philadelphia on Monday night, killing four people and wounding two boys in the latest outbreak of gun violence in the United States, police said. The victims were apparently random, with no connection immediately known between them and the shooter, the AP reports. The shootings took place over several city blocks in the southwestern neighborhood of Kingsessing. Responding officers chased the suspect as he continued to fire, and he was arrested in an alley after surrendering, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said at a news conference. "At this point all we know is that this person decided to leave their home and target individuals," Outlaw said. So far this year, the nation has witnessed the highest number on record of mass killings and deaths to this point in a single year.

He had a bulletproof vest, an "AR-type rifle," multiple magazines, a handgun, and a police scanner, she said. Officers were flagged down at about 8:30pm, and multiple calls of shots fired came in from Kingsessing. Police found some gunshot victims, and as they were attending to them, they heard more gunfire, Outlaw said. The suspected shooter was identified as a 40-year-old man. A second person was also taken into custody who may have returned fire at the suspect, but police did not know whether there was a connection between the two people, Outlaw said. The chief described the scene as covering an area of two by four blocks and said dozens of shell casings were found. Three of the dead ranged in age from 20 to 59, while the fourth, who had not yet been identified, was estimated to be between 16 and 21. The two hospitalized victims are boys, ages 2 and 13. They were in stable condition, Outlaw said.

(More Philadelphia stories.)

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