Mass Shooting in Philadelphia Leaves 3 People Dead, 10 Injured, Including 3 Minors

Police are investigating after three people were killed and 10 others were injured in a mass shooting in Philadelphia on July 7.

A group of people were gathered around the Grays Ferry area when police received reports of gunshots just before 1 a.m.

When authorities arrived, they found 13 people hurt, including 12 with gunshot wounds, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said during a press conference. 

Three minors were among those shot but not killed, Bethel said.

“We’re gonna continue to address the challenges we see every day moving forward and continue to make this area safe. It’s been a very tragic weekend,” he added. 

The shooting victims were taken to nearby hospitals, USA Today reported, citing police. Out of the 13 victims, one was injured from “falling to the ground while running away.”

Three of the victims are under the age of 18, the outlet reported. They are two 17-year-old males and a 15-year-old female.

Another victim, a 19-year-old, was shot twice in the head and is in critical condition, authorities say. 

Among those who died, were a 19-year-old male who sustained a gunshot wound to the head, a 23-year-old male who sustained a gunshot wound to the chest and a 24-year-old male who sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the back, CBS News reported.

Bethel told CBS News that officers had already responded to the same neighborhood late Saturday night into early Sunday. Police said they made arrests during the previous incident and continued to monitor the area throughout the weekend, adding that one person was taken into custody with a weapon.

Bethel told the outlet there were around 40 people who were present at the time of the shooting and that authorities are recovering dozens of shell casings from the scene.   

“This is coward stuff,” Bethel said during the press conference. “Individuals just shooting randomly into houses, into cars, at children. This is cowardly, wannabe thug stuff, this is something it’s hard to understand why individuals engage in this behavior.”

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The July 7 shooting followed another shooting on July 5 at a South Philadelphia nightclub where multiple shooters opened fire and eight people were injured, CBS reported. 

“We are not going back,” Bethel said. “We are going to continue to stay focused on these areas that have a significant level of violence.”