The mayor of Chester declared a state of emergency Saturday night after three deadly shootings last week, including the death of 2-year-old Terrance Webster.
Mayor Wendell Butler Jr. increased police patrols and established a curfew. From 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. in five targeted areas, no one is allowed on the street without a permit.
The city also is teaming up with state police and the Delaware County sheriff, and Butler hopes to hire eight new police officers as soon as possible.
"It's an all-out effort to address the violence that is happening on my streets," Butler said. "So as you'll see, I canceled all the leaves, all personal days. It's all hands on deck."
Butler will ask the City Council to extend the state of emergency from five days to 30 and he plans to start a gun buyback program to get firearms off the street.
Terrance Webster was shot in the head when a man ambushed his parents as they returned to their apartment last weekend. He died Monday at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. His parents also were shot but have recovered.
There have been 11 homicides in Chester this year.
