Violent Night In Philly Leaves At Least 2 Dead, 8 Injured
PHILADELPHIA (CBS)—A violent night in Philadelphia leaves at least two people dead and eight others injured after a rash of shootings across the city since Thursday night.
Around 8 p.m. Thursday, a 19-year-old man was rushed to the hospital after police say he was shot at least 10 times in the 2400 block of 76th Street.
The victim died at the hospital, police say.
The suspect was only described as wearing all black clothing and last seen running through a driveway in the 7500 block of Ogontz Ave.
"Based on ballistic evidence we know that at least 13 shots were fired," said Philadelphia Chief Inspector Scott Small. "We found 13 spent shell casings…many of the shell casings were near where the victim had collapsed and due to the fact that he was shot multiple times, we believe that this 19-year-old was the intended target."
Nearly a half an hour later, police say a 40-year-old man was gunned down after being shot in the head in the 4500 block of Melrose Street. The man died at the scene.
City police say they are continuing their investigating into a four other shootings that left seven people injured.
An 18-year-old man and a 23-year-old man were injured in a shooting around 7 p.m. Thursday in the 5000 block of Germantown Ave. Both are expected to survive.
Also on Thursday, police found a 71-year-old man struck by a stray bullet and a 23-year-old man shot in the hip in the 4100 block of W. Giard Ave. They too, are in stable in condition, police say,
And the gun fire didn't stop there; police are investigating a shooting that left two people injured at the intersection of 56th and Cedar Street. Their condition is unknown at this time.
Small believes the weather is contributing to the increase in shootings.
"Thursday evening we had an unusual high number of shootings, it was unseasonably warm today, weather was in the 60's, there's a lot more people out on the streets," Small said. "This shooting is the first shooting for Friday. It's still unseasonably warm, we believe that's the reason for the increase in shootings in the last 10 to 12 hours."
The violence carried into Friday morning leaving another man injured.
Around 2 a.m. police found a 33-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach near 25th street and W. Ritner Street. He is expected to survive.
"It appears, based on the crime scene, that there was some sort of shootout," said Small. Where the victim was found and where the victim's vehicle is, which is struck several times by gun fire, we found 5 spent shell casings and a live magazine with a loaded gun."
No suspects have been taken into custody in connection with these shootings.
Anyone with any information is asked to call the Philadelphia Police Department,