'Everybody Is Scared': Chester Police To Step Up Patrols After 7-Year-Old, Grandfather Shot In Broad Daylight
DELAWARE COUNTY, Pa. (CBS) – Gunfire erupts in broad daylight on the streets of Chester, leaving 48-year-old Nathan Blackwell and his 7-year-old granddaughter with gunshot wounds. Investigators say that little girl was taken to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and is in good condition.
A single bullet hole in the front window of the Peter's Market corner store, does not quite tell the story of what happened at the scene near 4th Street and Highland Avenue in Chester, Friday afternoon.
"I was in the house and I heard the gunshots," one neighbor said.
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Around 3:30, surveillance video shows a black SUV pull up to the bodega, a woman gets out, with the 7-year-old still inside the vehicle.
Within minutes, police say a red jeep drove up, and at least two people start firing.
"I did not open my door. Period. I was right here by the window. I didn't even look out my window," one man said
Police say Blackwell was hit twice, and inside the black SUV his granddaughter tried to dodge the bullets by jumping from the backseat of the vehicle into the front.
She emerges seconds later, limping from a gunshot wound to the leg.
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"It's unfortunate the lack of conscious with these guns," Police Chief James Nolan said.
He says this is the second shooting on Friday alone, the first shooting near 11th Street and Central Avenue, occurred just before noon and sent a 23-year-old to the hospital.
"I don't know if they're related yet. Obviously we're working that angle," Chief Nolan said.
The chief is also trying to prevent other violence over the holiday weekend.
"We're going to bring in as many patrol units as we can throughout the weekend, 24 hours a day," he added.
This a welcomed decision for those who live in the community.
"Everybody is scared. You can't sit outside. You can't do anything," one resident said.
