Suspect wanted for firing at security guard in Center City
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia police are searching for the shooter who fired at a security guard just outside City Hall Monday night.
It comes as a record number of guns used in crimes were confiscated by Philly police last year.
On average, Philadelphia police say they take about 17 guns off city streets every day. And no neighborhood is immune to gun violence, even in Center City.
"It's scary," Taylor Smith, of Center City, said. "I think I heard it last night."
Security camera video shows the suspect, who police say took out a gun and shot at an unarmed security guard around 11:30 p.m. Monday.
"It's very alarming," said Malcolm Yates, who works in Center City. "We really need to start having some type of safety in the city."
CBS News Philadelphia was there as police collected evidence.
Police say the 29-year-old guard asked a group to leave the park, which was closed.
That led to an altercation with a man from the group, and he took out a handgun and fired two shots.
The guard was not hit or injured. But one bullet shattered a glass window at the Rothman Cabin, a cafe near the ice rink.
"Makes you nervous to be out and about," Judy Smith said.
District Attorney Larry Krasner addressed the city's gun violence problem at a news conference Tuesday.
"I think we have to look for new solutions," Krasner said.
CBS Philadelphia found city police have been working around the clock to seize illegal guns.
Last year, officers confiscated more than 6,200 guns that were used in crimes, a new record.
"Why is that number so high?" Krasner said. "Well, I think the PPD has rightly made the emphasis of trying to put together solid cases for gun possession."
"Unfortunately, we're seeing a lot of those guns [cases] suppressed in court," he added. "We're seeing judges make the determination the seizure of the gun was illegal. And we're seeing it time and time again."
Still, people tell CBS Philadelphia something has got to change to improve safety in the city.
"The city's in disarray with all this crime that's happening," Frank Ricks, who works in Center City, said.
There's been an increase in gun violence in Center City in recent years.
Data CBS Philadelphia obtained from police shows there were 15 shooting victims in Center City last year, which highest number of shooting victims there in at least four years.
