One Dead, 5 Others Injured After Gunfire Erupts During Illegal Party In Nicetown, Police Say
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- There was terror in Nicetown on Saturday morning after bullets went flying at an illegal party, leaving one person dead and five others wounded. The early morning shooting adds to a disturbing trend as the city outpaces record homicide rates set last year.
"There were at least 150 people in there that fled and believed they had to flee for their lives," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said.
There were frightening moments inside of the Hot Pot Cuisine restaurant on Germantown Avenue overnight. A shooting broke out inside at 3:45 a.m. Saturday. One man was killed while two other men and three women were injured.
"There's casings inside and out," Outlaw said. "There was a shootout of some sort and there were multiple shooters."
Police say the shootout began inside of the event space and then spilled out onto the street. The crime scene spanned two blocks. Police say there was an illegal pop-up party happening inside of the event space when the shooting happened.
The 39-year-old is at least the 107th homicide victim in the city so far this year. That's 28% more than this time last year.
Outlaw says these illegal parties are a growing problem as the pandemic lingers on.
"We don't always know when they're happening, where they are, who's involved," she said, "and in this case, a shooting occurred and not only one person was shot and killed, but there was six people."
Outlaw says police have been called to the restaurant in the past and they've tried to get the city to shut it down. She says they are now looking into sanctions for the owner.
For a list of gun violence resources in Philadelphia, click here.
