Mayor Parker says Philadelphia "should not have to live this way" after 24 people shot over weekend
After two dozen people were shot in Philadelphia over the weekend, Mayor Cherelle Parker and other city officials addressed the spate of violence during a press conference Monday morning.
Speaking in Center City, Parker said in total, 24 people were shot over the weekend starting Friday night in 11 separate shootings. She said of those shooting victims, four people were killed.
"Every shooting and homicide in Philadelphia personally pains me, as your mayor, and my administration," Parker said. "People should not have to live this way."
According to Parker, homicides in the city are down 37% compared to last year, and shooting victims are down 36% from 2023.
"But these are human beings that we are talking about," she said. "Not statistics."
According to crime data reported by the Philadelphia Police Department, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 16, 2024, 251 people were victims of homicide. This time last year, police reported 398 homicide victims.
Speaking alongside Parker Monday morning, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said while the city is headed in the right direction, this weekend's violence will not "deter us from our mission."
Bethel added that investigators have started making arrests in connection with the shootings.
Monday's press conference at Dilworth Park comes days after three teenagers were shot at the nearby popular holiday ice rink on Friday, Dec. 13.
Investigators believe a fight broke out between a group of young people. One of the victims, a 14-year-old boy, was shot in the face and listed in "critical condition" over the weekend. The two other victims were 14 and 15 years old.
A teenage boy was detained in connection with the shooting over the weekend and charged with aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, conspiracy and a weapons violation.
"Center City is one of the safest areas of the city of Philadelphia," Bethel said Monday. "We will bolster our resources as well across the city to address the episode of violence we saw over the weekend."
In less than five hours Sunday morning, police responded to two other shootings with multiple victims.
The first happened around 1 a.m. on the 2700 block of North 29th Street. Three people were shot, and one person, a 48-year-old man, died at the scene.
Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said the shooting involved a security guard firing a weapon at someone who had a gun and that charges haven't been filed in connection with that incident as of Monday.
Then, around 5:30 a.m., a quintuple shooting near the intersection of D Street and Wyoming Avenue left a 23-year-old man dead. The four other victims ranged in age from 28 to 45 years old.
Vanore said this shooting stemmed from some sort of argument and that investigators are looking for more video from the area.
"It didn't change our plans"
The Mackrell family from West Chester decided to stop their holiday shopping on Monday and watch city leaders explain what happened this weekend across Philadelphia.
"I was shocked to hear it happened with such young children," Christine Mackrell said. "The location, yes, I think of this as a nice area."
"It didn't change our plans," Mark Mackrell said. "If there is a safe part of the city, I'd say it's Center City, even though the incident happened the other day."
Despite the shooting, shop owners around Dilworth Park at the Christmas Village said they haven't been negatively impacted by the incident.
Sakshee Vijay, who runs Skinmushh, said she had the best weekend in the three years she's been coming to Dilworth Park, and people kept coming to shop even after Friday's shooting.
"People in Philadelphia have been really supportive, so far, and this was my highest-grossing weekend in terms of revenue and sales in the past three years," Vijay said.
"People would show up and everyone was highly empathetic," she added.
Vijay was at her booth where she sells candles when the three teens were shot at the ice rink.
"I could only hear people running towards my booth," Vijay said.
Since the shooting, police said more officers have been added to Dilworth Park.
