Global Courant
PHILADELPHIA — A gunman wearing a body armor opened fire on the streets of Philadelphia Monday evening, killing four men and wounding two boys in the latest outbreak of gun violence in the United States, police said. The casualties were seemingly random and there was no direct connection between them and the shooter.
The shootings occurred over several city blocks in the southwestern neighborhood of Kingsessing. Responding officers chased the suspect as he continued firing, 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 individual decided to leave their home and target individuals,” Outlaw said.
He had a body armor, an “AR-type rifle,” multiple magazines, a handgun and a police scanner, she said.
Officers were shot at about 8:30 pm and multiple shots came in from the Kingsessing. Police found some gunfire victims and as they tended to them, they heard more gunshots, Outlaw said.
The suspected shooter was identified as a 40-year-old man. Another person was detained, but no other details were available.
Outlaw described the scene as a two-by-four block area and said dozens of shell casings were found.
“Right now you can see there are several scenes here,” said Outlaw. “We’re surveying the area to get as much as we can, to identify witnesses, to identify where cameras are located and to do everything we can to find out the why,” Outlaw said.
The dead men ranged in age from 20 to 59. The two hospitalized victims are boys aged 2 and 13. Their condition is stable, Outlaw said. There was no connection between the shooter and the victims.
The shooting occurred a day after gunfire erupted over a holiday weekend in Baltimore, about 100 miles to the southwest, killing two people and injuring 28 others. Those injured in that shooting ranged in age from 13 to 32, more than half of whom were minors, officials said.
The violence in Philadelphia marks the 29th mass murder in the country in 2023, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in conjunction with Northeastern University.
So far this year, the nation has witnessed its highest number of recorded mass killings and deaths in a single year to date.
Since 2006, according to the database, there have been more than 550 mass murders, in which at least 2,900 people have been killed and at least 2,000 injured.
