The first homicide of the new year took place in southern Philadelphia.
Police say a man was shot at around 12:30 pm on block 100 on Ritner Street.
A 37-year-old victim was shot in the thigh, officials say.
Neighbors told Action News off camera that the man rounded the corner of Fitzgerald Street, going from door to door trying to get help.
Officials say he was pronounced dead at Jefferson University Hospital.
Just before 2:00 am, a shooting took place on block 2100 on Walnut Street in an apartment.
Police said a 22-year-old woman was shot in the arm and hip.
The woman, whose identity remains unknown, was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The police say an arrest was made in this incident.
Another homicide took place in an unknown location, officials say.
The victim entered the Temple Hospital Emergency Department with a gunshot wound and passed out at about 4:30 am on Friday.
There have been no arrests made so far.
A third homicide occurred at block 2500 on South 66th Street in southwestern Philadelphia at about 4:30 am on Friday.
Police say a 26-year-old man was shot in the basement of a house during a party.
Detectives expect witnesses who were at the party to provide information about the sniper.
Neighbors say they’ve heard parties at the house before.
“I just don’t understand. If they stopped throwing parties, they might stop, but the violence has to stop,” said Coral Chambers, who moved to the neighborhood less than a year ago.
Captain Scott Drissel of the 12th Police District says he hopes that all areas of the city’s criminal justice system can work together to reduce the homicide rate by 2021.
“We are not the only ones in the criminal justice system. We need everyone to work in unison, even during a pandemic, ”said Drissel. “Because the crime doesn’t stop.”
The violence was so prevalent that it became normalized for some of the city’s youngest residents.
“I know 20 people who have been killed in the past few years,” said Shakir Calderon. “It makes me want to be part of the solution.”
The Talk to Me Mentorship program in Hunting Park has become a place for teenagers to escape armed violence in their neighborhoods.
“Just watching your friends lose people. Even if you don’t know them, it’s crazy,” said Nyjah Smith, who is a senior in high school on the program.
The city’s leadership and police command pointed to the pandemic and the despair it caused, including weapons on the streets, as factors.
“We have said it is enough,” said Ryan Harris, founder of the non-profit organization ‘As I Plant This Seed’. “We need bigger voices and more people to get out and really start talking about violence.”
Residents think that if things don’t change, it could be just as violent in 2021.
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