In response to the violence, Mayor Jim Kenney announced on Thursday evening that his administration will begin holding public briefings next week to share ongoing strategies to deal with “this public health crisis and create safe and healthy communities”.
The shots rang out in the parking lot of an apartment complex on block 1400 N 76th Street at about 3 pm Thursday in the city’s Overbrook Park neighborhood.
The shooting took the life of a 24-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy.
Police said a 30-year-old man and a 19-year-old man were also shot. Both were hospitalized in extremely critical conditions.
One of the bullets hit Valerie Owen’s home.
“I heard a lot of shots,” said Owen.
She said the bullet pierced her grandson’s bedroom window on the third floor.
“The bullet went in, went through and hit the door. So if he was sitting there, he would have been shot,” said Owen.
SEE ALSO: Police: Killing a 15-year-old boy in Kingsessing appears to be an act of random violence
Police commissioner Danielle Outlaw said residents probably saw the sniper.
“Given the number of people shot at one time … it’s not only intriguing, but it leads us to believe that there are more people here who know about what happened,” said Outlaw.
The second shooting took place around 7:36 pm, when police said someone opened fire at a recreational center on block 5500 on Christian Street.
Police said four men got out of a small SUV and started shooting, hitting three teenagers playing basketball on the court near a school.
A 16-year-old boy was killed after being shot in the back of the head. He was identified as Kyrie Simmons.
Two other 15-year-olds suffered serious injuries in the shooting. Both teenagers are expected to survive.
Police said it was not clear whether the 16-year-old was the intended target.
“My daughter is 6 years old,” said resident Ed Carr. “You don’t want your child here in this kind of environment.”
Kimberly Sciulli, who lives nearby, told Action News that her son was shot three years ago.
“He did not die. We can no longer blame the police systems, any other systems, we really have to resolve this,” said Sciulli.
The third shooting took place around 11:20 pm at Point Breeze.
Police said a fight broke out in a group of people in Tasker’s 1900 block.
Someone opened fire and a man, who legally owned a gun, fired back.
After the crowd dispersed, someone shot through the front window of a house and hit a 37-year-old woman, police said.
An 18-year-old man was found outside Dickinson with gunshot wounds.
Both victims were stable.
The police are looking for four men in this case.
Minutes before the third shooting of the day, Mayor Kenney released his statement on Thursday’s violence, referring to the other two incidents.
“2021 is on its way to be the most violent year we live in our lives. We cannot stand still, as we have lost an entire generation to this ongoing scourge of armed violence. We must rise with a united voice to demand this horrible violence to come to an end. and work together to achieve that goal, “said Mayor Jim Kenney in a statement.
The mayor said public meetings will begin at noon on Wednesday.
No arrests were made in connection with these incidents. Anyone with any information should call the police at 215-686-TIPS.
SEE ALSO: 15-year-old in custody after a teenager was shot in Cobbs Creek, a neighborhood in Philadelphia
Read Mayor Kenney’s full statement:
“Once again, our city was shaken by senseless violence. Tonight, we tragically lost a 15 year old boy who had his whole life ahead of me. I express my deepest condolences to the family during this unimaginable period. The life of at least at least two other teenage victims will never be the same, as they now need to recover from gunshot wounds that devastated their young bodies and face the long-term impacts of experiencing this trauma.
“Earlier this afternoon, another shooting took the life of a man and left others – including two teenagers – seriously injured. At this rate, 2021 is on its way to being the most violent year we have ever lived in our lives. We cannot stand still now. that we have lost an entire generation to this ongoing scourge of armed violence, we must stand up with a united voice to demand that this terrible violence come to an end and work together to achieve that goal.
“Starting next Wednesday at noon, our administration will hold regular public briefings to share the strategies underway to face this public health crisis and create safe and healthy communities. We will be frank about our challenges and transparent about solutions and resources that we are bringing to bear to reduce violence across the city. ”
Copyright © 2021 WPVI-TV. All rights reserved.