Gun Violence In Philadelphia Claims 5 Lives, Injures 16 Others In 24 Hour Span From Thursday To Friday: Police
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Five people were killed and 16 others were injured in just 24 hours due to gun violence in Philadelphia. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia turned into a crime scene.
An overnight shooting victim was driven to CHOP where he later died. The shooting happened along Redfield Street.
Police say 18 shots were fired from 2 separate guns. Nearby homes and cars were also struck, but police say no one else was injured. The victim was 31-years-old. Police are now looking for the person who drove the victim to CHOP.
'The person that drove the victim to the hospital in that shot-up Kia fled the scene, so we're holding the vehicle at CHOP as a crime scene but we don't have the individual that drove that vehicle," Chief Inspector Scott Small said.
Police tell Eyewitness News the 31-year-old was one of five people shot and killed in the city since Thursday morning.
Two men in Southwest Philadelphia are among the victims who lost their lives. Just after 10 p.m. Thursday, police say they found the two 32-year-old men shot multiple times on 67th Street and Greenway Avenue. Emergency crews rushed them to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where both men died.
"We found 13 spent shell casings, so we know 13 shots were fired from a semi-automatic weapon," Small said. "The 13 spent shell casings are very close to, just a few feet away from where both of the victims had collapsed."
The fourth fatal shooting happened on Manton Street in Queen Village Thursday afternoon.
No arrests have been made in any of these deadly shootings.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney released a statement about the overnight gun violence on Friday.
"The outrageous levels of violent incidents over the past 24 hours in our city is devastating. The surge in gun violence that we've seen across the nation—and here in Philadelphia—makes me not just heartbroken, but angry. My deepest sympathies go out to the loved ones of those affected by violence. These senseless shootings must stop, and must stop now.
"I can't reinforce enough how tragic and needless this loss of life is. Our administration, in partnership with all of our local and federal law enforcement agencies, continues to work relentlessly to reduce violence and create safer communities and a more just city for everyone. Our commitment to solving this crisis is demonstrated by the expansion in violence prevention funding proposed in our latest FY23 Budget, where we plan to invest more than $184 million to make our communities safer. We will continue to do everything we can to protect Philadelphians.
"Until we address the availability and ease of access to firearms, we will always be fighting an uphill battle. The Police Department is investigating these crimes and they continue to take a record number of illegal firearms off our streets, but they need the public's help to solve crimes. I urge anyone with information about heinous acts of violence to report it anonymously to 215-686-TIPS so we can prevent the senseless shootings that are tearing our communities apart."
"I also want to remind people that the City's new 2-1-1 violence prevention hotline, a resource hub and preventative tool, can connect residents to violence prevention services and programs available in our communities—especially for those most highly at risk of engaging in gun violence or are looking for a way out of that life. Callers can reach the hotline by dialing 2-1-1 and then pressing 3 to be put in touch with a Resource Navigator."
For a list of gun violence resources in Philadelphia, click here.