Violent July 4th Weekend In Philadelphia Sees At Least 21 People Shot, 5 Homicides
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was a violent Fourth of July weekend in Philadelphia with police racing to several different shooting scenes in what has been a tragic 24 hours. At least 21 people have been shot, with five dead in just a six-hour span Sunday, according to homicide detectives. One of the victims was a child
The latest shooting happened around 8:30 p.m. at 63rd Street and Nassau Road in Overbrook. Police say a triple shooting has left a 15-year-old boy critically wounded and two men hospitalized in stable condition.
This was just the very latest in a sobering string of gun violence.
Twenty-four hours of non-stop shootings in the City of Philadelphia left nearly a half-dozen dead, including a 6-year-old boy. The circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting inside an Upper Holmesburg home Sunday afternoon remain unclear.
"I don't know what happened, I know it's going to be super, super sad," neighbor Greg Van Ball said. "I know the family and I know the little guy. It's really, really upsetting."
July 5 started with two men shot on the 600 block of South Street at 2:30 a.m. and then another double shooting at 1:30 p.m. on the 1800 block of Wallace Street in Spring Garden.
Less than an hour later, a 37-year-old woman was shot 12 times in the torso and killed on the 1900 block of Clarence Street in Harrowgate.
At 3:20 p.m., another woman was shot in the arm on the 2700 block of North Broad Street.
At the same time in Point Breeze, a double shooting left one man dead on the 1300 block of 17th Street.
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In North Philadelphia, a 43-year-old man was fatally shot in the back of the head on the 2300 block of Croskey Street.
Then, just before 5 p.m., an 11-year-old girl in Southwest Philly suffered a graze wound on the 2500 block of 67th Street.
Just before 6:30 p.m., one man died in a double shooting outside of a home on the 2100 block of East Ann Street in Kensington. Police say two gunmen approached and opened fire as the men sat together during a barbecue on the block.
"COVID is one of the epidemics we're dealing with, but we're also continuing to deal with the prevalence of homicides and shootings in our community," Inspector Jarreau Thomas said. "Prayerfully, we can find out who committed these crimes and we can bring some peace and closure to the members of this community."
Out of a dozen shootings since 10:30 p.m. Saturday, police have made one arrest and recovered the gun in the homicide of the 37-year-old woman in Harrowgate.
Mayor Jim Kenney tweeted on Sunday night, "This weekend is a stark reminder that COVID-19 isn't our only crisis. Gun violence continues to traumatize our communities and cut lives short."
He also urged anyone with information on the violence to call the anonymous tip line, 215-686-TIPS.
